Resurrected
by poeticgrace
Summary: When Emily Quartermaine found her way back, no one would have ever expected that it would be to him. Will her resurrection lead to their unrealized love's reinvention? AU Luckily.
1. Chapter 1

When Emily Quartermaine took her last breath in the grand foyer of Wyndamere, her mind wasn't on the man it should have been. When her family and friends waxed poetic about the great love of her life in the days following her funeral, they weren't talking about the man they should have been. When the first visitor laid a bouquet of her favorite Casablanca lilies at the foot of her family's crypt, it wasn't the man that it should have been. And when she made her first reappearance to the living again, her first visit wasn't to the man that it should have been.

Emily had always heard that you have a moment of clarity before you die, this aural epiphany where all of life's questions are answered and everything finally makes sense. When she nearly died of cancer four years ago, she had believed that she went through such a near-death experience where she could see everything clearly. Her visions led her toward the man she had long loved, her perfect prince, Nikolas Cassadine. The strength of their love was had maintained and sustained her during the weakest moments when everyone around her was sure that she was going to lose the battle. On that fateful night where she had nearly died, having him on the other side of the wall was what had brought her over to the other side. If you had asked her in even the last seconds leading up to her murder if that same love would bring them yet another miracle, she would have believed it with all of her soul. Only after she slipped away from this earth would she come to realize how wrong she was.

Standing outside a quaint white cottage, she peered through the window of a house as familiar as her own. Inside, she watched a handsome, rugged man chase a curly-haired toddler in bare feet. A wide grin painted across both their faces, she could feel the love radiating from her position on the porch. More than anything, she wanted to make her presence known. She wanted to go to him and remind him that she ever existed. However, as the small child dodged around the sofa and into his father's waiting embrace, she knew that she couldn't. It was going to be hard enough explaining it to an adult; she would never risk scaring a child.

"What do you say you go upstairs and take your nap?" she heard the father ask, cradling his sleepy son close to his chest. The small boy seemed to protest for a moment. "When you wake up, we'll go over to Kelly's for some ice cream and go play in the park." The negotiation worked, and soon father and son disappeared out of sight and away from Emily's eyesight. She considered going inside for a moment, poising on the edge of the couch to surprise him when he returned. Instead, she convinced herself to wait a little longer. She had always trusted her instincts and something was telling her that that timing wasn't quite right. There was a reason she was outside looking in for the moment. She needed a sign to tell her to push forward, to accept what she had long ignored.

After more than ten minutes, the man padded back down the stairs. She expected him to busy himself with the television or picking up the scattered toys, but he elected to sit quietly on the sofa. He reached into the drawer of the oak table that flanked his couch and retrieved a well-worn leather album. Emily recognized the book immediately and knew that it contained photograph after photograph of them together. The album had been hers, a treasure chest full of her memories. She could remember all the times she had poured over those pages, retracing the course of their mutual journey. It had always been an undeniable source of comfort, an inanimate friend she had come to depend on almost as much as him.

He flipped through the plastic pages for awhile, quietly smiling at each image. Eventually, he stopped to look at one near the end. She knew exactly which photograph had captivated him because it was her favorite as well. It was of them on their trip to the islands, the brief spell when neither of them had been entangled with their other supposed soulmates. "I really missed you today, Em," he confessed softly. "There is a lot going on right now, and I don't know what to do." He stopped talking for a moment to retrace the gentle curve of her cheek on the page. "There is so much I want to talk to you about. There is so much I need you to say."

"Then tell me," she announced softly without even thinking. His azure eyes shot to her and widened in shock. He shook his head for a moment, trying to convince himself that this couldn't be real. He couldn't be seeing Emily; she was dead. "You're not dreaming, it's me. I'm really here. I never could stay away from you for very long."

Not trusting his wobbling legs enough to walk across the room to where he saw her standing, he sat still and continued to gaze at her. "Em?" he asked timidly. "This isn't possible. I know that I've kind of gone through a breakdown with your death and this whole Jake thing, but I had no idea I was going crazy. There's no way that you're really here with me."

Emily giggled in the familiar way that she always had, sending tingles up his spine. She crossed the room for him and stopped short of the couch. Reaching out, she caressed his cheek. He could feel the soft whisper of her fingertips on his skin. "I'm really here, Lucky," she promised him. Turning his face to look at her, she smiled reassuringly at him. "I don't know how it's possible, but it is. I wasn't sure if you would be able to see me, but you can."

Lucky reached up to grasp her hand, desperate to make this real for himself. Her palm was cool against his but he could feel her. She was really there with him. "Emily," he murmured, standing up. Without another thought, he wrapped his arms around her slender frame and lifted her effortlessly from her feet. Spinning around slowly in a circle, he buried his face in the crook of her neck. She still smelled the same, the strange combination of a citrus grove at the peak of summer, baby powder and surgical disinfectant. "God, you don't know how I've wished for this. I would have done anything to make this happen, for your death not to be real."

"I'm still not sure that it is real," she retorted hesitantly. She didn't want to scare him but she also didn't want to give him false hope. "I don't exactly understand what is going on. I just know that I had the chance to come back here for some reason, and when I arrived, this was the first place I wanted to come. I didn't even think about it, I just followed my heart. I guess you can say that it led me to you."

He still hadn't let go of his best friend. "Why me?" he pondered aloud. Emily shook her head against his chest, indicating that she didn't have the answer. "You should have gone to see Nikolas or your mother. They are the ones who really needed to see you, Em. They've both been devastated. I could have even understood you seeing Elizabeth or Jason."

For the first time, Emily remembered her other best friend and her brother. Towards the end, she had tried to push them together. She had told herself that it was because she wanted them to be happy, but really, she just wanted Liz to stop making Lucky miserable. They were living a lie and prolonging the inevitable. He deserved to have someone who loved him unconditionally and completely. Now, she realized maybe that she wanted to be that person. "Lucky, you lost your best friend and your son. Don't discount your own feelings or grief. Of course I would want to come to you. You would have come back for me."

"That's different," he protested automatically. He was getting ready to say that it was different because he had been in love with her, but he didn't. Instead, he continued to hold her against him. "You know what? I don't care why you are here. I just care that you are. I am so thankful that you are here with me. It doesn't matter what I have to give up to have even a minute with you, I would have given it gladly."

"I know," she replied, trailing her hands up his back to his chestnut hair. It was as soft as ever as she ran her fingers through the downy strands. His eyes twinkled as he watched her in way that could only be described as utter amazement. He had looked at her the same way the first time they kissed in the cave in Arizona. He had looked at her that way when she had come home from California and when he had woken up with her at his bedside after the coma. It was their look, something completely unique to them. "You know what I think?"

Lucky shook his head. "I could never quite figure out what you were thinking," he joked. He was going through the motions so naturally, but he still couldn't quite believe that she was there with him. He couldn't comprehend that he could see her, smell her, hear her, feel her. She was as familiar and real to him as she had been when she was alive. "Tell me."

"I think," she told him, pressing her head to his chest to hear the beating of his heart, "that you helped me beat death. I think that whatever it is that we have has transcended all reason and convention."

Even though he hadn't always known what Emily thought, he could still read between the lines. He was hearing all the words that she wasn't saying, and her silence spoke volumes. "We've always defied the odds, you and me," he reminded her. "Think about all the times I should have died. I can count at least a half dozen off the top of my head. Think of everything that you beat. We got into so many situations where we should have lost, but we never did as long as we were together. You were more than my best friend, you were my saving grace."

"We saved each other," she agreed. She knew that he was thinking about how he should have been there to save him that night. "Don't blame yourself, Lucky. This isn't your fault. I don't know how I died, but I know that you didn't have anything to do with it. You were having your own world end, only in a different way. We both lost a lot that night. Mine just ended up meaning that I lost everything."

Lucky stepped away from Emily, needing to put some space between them. The conversation was so heavy and moving entirely too fast for him. A whirlwind of emotions enraptured his body. "I want to find it again."

"You will," she promised. "You are."

He offered her the best smile he could muster and accepted her opened arms. Stepping into the warmth of her body, he didn't care if this was real or not. He didn't care if he was crazy or what all of this meant. "I think I may have already. I found you."

"You always did have a way with words, Spencer," she taunted affectionately, poking him playfully in the chest. His head reached up to catch hers and held it tightly. Her eyes were hooded with uncertainty, likely a feeling mirrored in his own. "I'm scared…"

"That this is all going to end," he finished for her. He knew the feeling but was resolved not to let it happen. He had just gotten her back, and there was no way he was about to lose Emily all over again. It had been pure hell, utter agony the first time. Knowing that she had come back for him, this time would be infinitely worse. "I promise you that I won't let that happen. You're here with me, Em. You're not going anywhere. _We_ are not going anywhere."


	2. Chapter 2

Lucky and Emily had stayed up all night talking, something he knew he would regret later that afternoon when he went into the station to pull a double shift. By the time the sun had risen in the pink horizon of dawn, they were no closer to figuring out what was going on. They had made an agreement to work on it more when they found time alone again, but first, Lucky had to head over to General Hospital to see his brother. Nikolas was getting the results from the tests Patrick Drake and Robin Scorpio had run on his brain tumor, and Lucky was expected to be there along with their little sister.

As he slipped the final button through its hole, Lucky grimaced at his reflection in the mirror. Dark circles surrounded his usually lively blue eyes. Looking past his own image, he caught a flash of her in the glass behind him. "Hey," he said simply, this time not surprised to see her there. "Where did you disappear to earlier?"

Emily blushed slightly, feeling sheepish that she had been caught on her little excursion away from the Spencer cottage. "I went to check in on my mom," she explained. "I was hoping that she would be able to see me, but I guess you're the only one. She doesn't seem to be doing that well, Lucky. I'm kind of worried."

"Why don't I stop by the mansion after I get done at the hospital to see her?" he proposed. Turning around, he was met with a grateful smile. "I have to go now. Robin and Patrick are supposed to meet with Nikolas within the hour. Lulu is going to meet me there."

"I want to go with you," she declared bravely. She still hadn't faced her fiancée yet, not that he would even know that she was there. A small part of her was still hoping that he would sense her presence, but she was trying to stifle those expectations. The last thing she needed was to feel disappointed when he didn't. There was a reason she had appeared to Lucky and not Nikolas. Whatever that reason was, she needed to make that enough for now. "I need to see him, Lucky. I can't put this off forever. I need to know that he is going to be okay without me."

Nodding slowly, Lucky knew better than to argue with Emily. Instead, he shoved his wallet in his back pocket and looped his arm through hers. It was comforting to feel the warmth of her skin beneath his forearm. "Elizabeth is going to be there, too," he told her as they headed down the stairs and back into the living room. Pausing to retrieve his car keys from the desk, he guided her outside to his car. He knew that he would look crazy talking to her on the drive across town, but he didn't care. People had said far worse about him. "I wish they could see you. It would make this so much easier."

"I know," she responded, "but I keep reminding myself there is a reason they can't. I had to come back to somebody, and I'm just glad that person was you. There is no one else who would be able to understand this like you have. No one else would have found a way to make this okay for me. That's your gift, Spencer. You've always been able to make me forget the bad and hold onto the good. You did it fifteen years ago when we were chasing our dogs around the mansion, and you did it last night when you reminded me that you were with me."

Making a left turn, Lucky calculated that they had approximately five more minutes of alone time before they arrived at the hospital. "Em, there has to be some logical explanation as to what is going on here," he said. "I know that you are supposed to be dead, but something clearly isn't right. Everything in my body is telling me that there is more to this than we think. Can you tell me what you remember?"

Closing her big brown eyes, Emily knew that she had to hide herself from him or he would be able to read everything on her face. He always had been able to decipher everything about her state of mind with one simple glance. "Nikolas and I were fighting in the foyer. He had a couple blackouts that night, but he had really snapped this time. Jason had tied him to a chair once, and I had agreed to lock him alone in a room. Somehow, he must have got out. After my brother left me in the barn, I even went back in there to try to let him out. I felt so guilty about doing that to him, but he had convinced me that it was the best thing for everyone, especially him. I think that's what we were fighting about when we started to struggle."

"Struggle?" Lucky questioned carefully. He didn't want to spook her or think that he was insinuating anything about his brother. He just wanted to paint a full picture and consider this from every single angle. There was this gaping hole in the story that he couldn't quite explain away. There had to be something that they were both missing. "Did Nikolas grab you? Did he hurt you?"

"Of course not!" Emily insisted. "You know that Nikolas would never hurt me. He was trying to protect me. He kept telling me over and over again that I had to leave so that I could be safe. I was too scared to leave him alone. I didn't know what he would do if I just left. It's kind of a blur after that. I remember struggling with someone, but I'm not sure if it was Nikolas. The only other thing I can really recall is just this overwhelming sense of terror and a slow drain of air from my throat. I tried to fight but I wasn't strong enough."

By the end of the explanation, tears had started to stream down Emily's face. Pulling into the parking lot, Lucky remained quiet until he had killed the motor. Glancing around to see if anyone was looking his way, he decided to throw caution to the wind and reached across the console to pull Emily to him. She buried her face into the crook of his neck as he wrapped his arms instinctively around her back. "You did well, Em," he praised. He knew that remembering her death couldn't be easy. "I know it's hard, but it's a good start. Since you're sure it's not Nikolas, we need to start looking everyone else that was there that night."

"We will do that," she vowed. "Later. First, we need to get upstairs and see how your brother is doing. If he gets bad news, he is going to need you there, and Lulu is going to look to you for strength. If it's good news, you'll never forgive yourself if you're not there to celebrate."

The ride upstairs in the elevator was a long one. Lucky wanted to talk to Emily, to see comfort from his best friend, but he shared the lift with Lainey Winters. The last thing he needed right now was to act crazy in front of the staff psychologist. When they reached the neurology floor, Lucky smiled warmly at the doctor and stepped into the busy corridor. Patrick was standing behind the nurses' station, pouring over a stack of charts. "You're finally here," he announced when he saw Lucky. "Your family is waiting for you in Nikolas' room."

"Thanks," Lucky retorted before heading off in the direction of Nikolas' room. Emily stayed close to him the entire time, her long strides meeting his with every step. When they reached the room, Emily stopped and gazed at her fiancée through the glass window. Lucky paused next to her, resting an open palm against the small of her back. "It's okay," he whispered. "We can do this."

"Yes, we can," Lulu agreed as she magically appeared next to him. Lucky jumped slightly before turning to his little sister. Wrapping her into a hug, he tried to pretend that he had just been giving himself a pep talk and not his dead best friend. Pulling back slightly, he smiled reassuringly down at the young blonde. She was the spitting image of their mother with the fire and fight of their father. Lucky had always looked more like his father but tended to have more of his mother's personality traits. Between the two of them, they were the perfect tributes to their parents. "Come on, our big brother needs us."

Lucky allowed Lulu to take his hand and pull into the hospital room. Emily followed them dutifully, focusing on Lucky's strong back rather than the dark haired man in the bed. She watched her best friend walk to his brother's bedside and lean down to hug him. She watched as he joked playfully with his little sister, doing their best to ignore their surroundings or the reality of the situation. She watched everything but her fiancée. She was scared to look at him. He didn't know she was there, and even though she had prepared herself for this, it still broke her heart.

Lulu shoved her way between her two brothers to greet Nikolas, allowing Lucky to take a few steps back. With his siblings temporarily preoccupied, he snuck a quick glance in Emily's direction. She was huddled in a corner, watching the entire scene unfold around her. He wanted to comfort her but knew that he couldn't. Instead, he smiled at her reassuringly. He could hear Nikolas and Lulu talking about Spencer when he rejoined their conversation. They chatted lightly for a few minutes until the doctors came in to deliver the news.

Over the next half hour, Laura Spencer's children listened to every possible medical explanation for Nikolas' medical condition. They learned that the tumor was inoperable and that the disorder could be hereditary. Lucky and Lulu were encouraged to get tested as were Alexis and her daughters. Robin went over a medicinal protocol that was still in the research and testing phase. Patrick highlighted the possible side effects and other alternative forms of recourse. They answered questions about his prognosis and what they could expect.

"Are there any more questions?" Robin asked softly. She hated having to deliver bad news to this family. They had been through too much already, and Nikolas was one of her closest friends. She would do anything to take this away from them, but she couldn't. The best she could do was make sure he got the best treatment possible. Thanks to Patrick, that was going to happen.

No one answered and the doctors quickly made their exit. Lulu started to tear up and made some excuse about needing to check in with work so that her brothers wouldn't see her cry. Alexis pressed a kiss to her only nephew's forehead and promised to return later that afternoon with the girls and Sam for a visit. Lucky was finally alone with his brother. "How are you feeling, really?"

"Pretty awful," Nikolas answered honestly. Sitting up in the bed, he rearranged the blankets around his lap. "I know that Robin says that we have every reason to hope, but I need to be realistic here. There are some big things I have to consider if I die, and Spencer is at the top of that list. I need to ask you a favor, Lucky."

Shaking his head vehemently, Lucky refused to listen to his brother. "You are going to make it through this, Nik," he insisted. "We don't have to do this right now. We don't need to think like that. We need to put good thoughts into the world because I believe in karma. It will come back to you."

"If that's true, then why did Emily die? She was the kindest person I've ever known, but she still died in the most violent of ways," he pointed out. "That's just not how life works, Brother. We have to face the facts. There is a possibility that I might die. I need to know that my son will be taken care of if I do. He's already lost his mother and Emily. If he loses me, he is going to need someone to love him as their own. I know that you can do that, Lucky. I need you to promise that you will raise my son."

Lucky didn't even need to think about. "I'd be honored."

"Good," Nikolas responded. "I need you to tell him about all the people that have loved him. I want him to know about Courtney, what a miracle he was to both of us. I want him to know what a beautiful, kind soul she was and how he was the answer to all of her prayers. I want him to know about Emily, how she devoted her life to him without question. I want him to know how gentle and nurturing she was from the very first time she held him in her arms. I want him to know how much his father loved him, how he hates that he couldn't be there to raise him. I want him to know that he has an entire army of angels watching over him from heaven."

"I will tell him about all those people and so many more," Lucky promised. He turned away for a moment to look at Emily. She was crying silently from the other side of the bed, her eyes fixed on Nikolas. "Spencer will know about our mother. He will know how much she loved you and how much she would have loved him. I will make sure that he knows the family that he still has. I will make sure that he spends time with his Great Aunt Alexis and all three of his cousins – Sam, Kristina and Molly. He will know Great Grandma Lesley and Aunt Lulu. He will be surrounded by so much love, I promise you."

Nikolas thanked him before allowing a deep yawn. He was already becoming used to the morning nap that the nurses had forced upon him. Lucky took notice of it and made up some excuse about how he needed to leave. Hugging him tightly, he promised to stop by in the morning and reminded Nikolas that he could call anytime for any reason. Nikolas promised him that he would before turning on his side and allowing the sleep to come. Lucky watched over him silently for a few minutes before leaving the room.

In the hallway, Lucky slumped to the floor and drew his knees up to his chin. He had thought that he was alone as Emily had stayed behind to hold vigil over Nikolas. However, she quickly dropped onto the cold tile next to him. "I don't think I came back for him."

He was surprised by her statement. There wasn't a hint of question in the declaration. She sounded completely sure. "Then why did you come back?"

Looking down at their hands, Lucky realized that they had woven their fingers together without even noticing that it was happening. "I came back to help you get through this," she answered. Her eyes darted to his and held his steady but smoldering gaze. "Don't you get it, Spencer? I came back for you."


	3. Chapter 3

After he left the hospital, Lucky had hoped that Emily would follow him home, but he spent the drive across town to his cottage alone. Coming home to a dark house was the loneliest feeling in the world. Only a year ago, he would have been coming home to a pregnant Elizabeth and Cameron. He had been on top of the world after nearly losing everything, finally managing to recapture the family he had almost lost. More than likely, Elizabeth would have been at the hospital with him tonight, right by his side, finding ways to quietly show up for him like they always had for each other. Instead, she was nowhere to be found, likely too wrapped up in Jason Morgan and her new life to realize that one of her oldest friends was struggling to live. The old Lucky would have been bitter that she wasn't there, but this one just didn't care. It didn't seem to matter anymore if she was there because he had Emily.

Thinking back, he realized that he had always had Emily. It was she who had brought him out of a coma. It was she that he wanted to see after he came back from the dead after Helena kidnapped him and convinced his entire family that he had died in a fire. It was she who he had so fiercely protected after he had let her down and not realized the full effect her battle with drugs had on her teenaged life. It was she who he had kissed in a cave in the middle of the wilderness when their hormones were raging. It was she who he had mourned so completely after she had died. It was she who had managed to cause the greatest sadness he had ever known when he realized he would never get to hear her laugh again, and it was she who had brought him the greatest joy when he saw her beautiful smile only two nights ago.

In that quiet moment outside Nikolas' hospital room, Emily had finally been able to explain why she came back. He had believed that it was to take care of Nikolas as he fought the battle going on inside his head. They had been through hell and back together, always coming out stronger in the end. Lucky had never even considered the idea that her return journey could actually be for him. Hearing her say those words resurrected feelings inside his heart he had worked so hard to bury. After the com….after the rapt…after Nikolas started to have feelings for Courtney…Lucky had felt so completely connected to Emily that he could have sworn that it was love. He would have done anything to be with her that summer, including betray his own brother. Being together seemed like the perfect solution to all their heartache, but she just hadn't felt the same way.

As he drove the dark road that ran along the docks, Lucky remembered how it felt to be with her on the island. It was so warm, the air filled with salt and promise. She had never looked as beautiful to him as she did there, so completely relaxed and free. It was the first time he had really seen her let her guard down in over a year, reminiscent of the vivacious brunette that had stormed into his life so many years before. Kissing her had almost pushed him over the brink but she had pulled back to keep them both from going over the edge. It had driven him crazy at the time, but looking back, he understood why she had. Emily had already lost so much at that point in her life, and she couldn't risk losing her best friend, too. She needed Lucky to get through that time, so she did what she had to do.

It was around that time that Elizabeth returned to Port Charles with an infant Cameron and her eye turned toward her old love. Lucky knew the best way to get over the woman he was in love with was to go back to the girl he had once loved. Emily had been supportive, spouting romantic platitudes about how wonderful it would be to see her two best friends reunited. It had been easy for Lucky to revert back to the ways of his adolescence. Elizabeth was safe and familiar; there was little risk to any relationship with her. Only after things fell apart did he realize his former wife's ability to destroy him. It wasn't all her fault, of course, but she had definitely played her part. And after all had been said and done, lines had been drawn, and more times than not, Lucky was left on the losing end.

He remembered how Emily had turned her back in the months that followed his divorce to Elizabeth. She had been so supportive of Liz, pushing her to have a relationship with Jason if that was what she wanted. He had felt betrayed but was glad that at least Nikolas was still on his side. During that dark period, he barely recognized the girl he had long called his best friend. It was as if she had forgotten everything they had ever meant to each other and all that they had been through. Her loyalty was undoubtedly with Liz, and more than anything associated with his divorce, that killed him. The only pain that could ever outweigh that was learning that Jake was not his son. After Emily had died, she hadn't been there to go through that with him either.

However, now, she was back with a vengeance. They were both determined to make things right between them because there were only so many second chances in life. God had dealt them a winning hand, and he wasn't about to let either of them bluff their way out of taking home the whole shebang. Emily had come back – not for Nikolas, not for Jason, not for Elizabeth. She had come back for him. That was the girl he had always known, the one that he fell for when he was just a kid and the one that he had continued to love every day since. He knew that there wasn't any rational explanation to what existed between them, but for now, it was all they could have.

* * *

Thousands of miles away, an older woman quietly crept up the spiral staircase in a tower of an old mansion. The expansive brick house was on the outskirts of a small town in rural Greece, completely undetectable by most of the known world. Few travelers passed by the house and none of them ever stopped. Surrounded by wrought iron gates and towering trees, the fortress was totally shut off from the rest of the world. No one from her former life knew that it existed. They had no clue where she even was. Some of them believed that she was still locked up in a convent in Siberia while others knew that she had likely escaped and was planning their comeback. However, none of them had any clue just what she had up her sleeve.

For the past year, Helena Cassadine had been carefully and quietly planning her grand return to Port Charles. After the latest stunt her beloved grandson had pulled, she had made a solemn vow to exact her revenge at the most unsuspecting time. She had promised herself that she would make all of them pay and avenge the great tradition her loving husband had built for the Cassadine name. She would perfect all the transgressions Nikolas had made and regain control of the family empire. From Luke Spencer and his pathetic spawns to the illegitimate mistake that was Alexis, she would do everything in her power to make sure that they paid.

At the top of that list, however, Helena held one woman above the others. With her flowing chestnut ringlets and doe eyes, Emily Quartermaine was the antithesis of everything a Cassadine woman should be. She was weak and pathetic, too conscious of others and terribly common. She was just an orphan from Arizona, not the young royal with an aristocratic upbringing that Nikolas required. The only thing that girl had ever managed to do that was positive for her grandson was not get pregnant. No, that task had been left to a blonde, a former stripper who had come by money through a good deed. Helena was grateful that the dreadful Courtney had perished during the epidemic just as Helena had planned. She had tried to take out Alexis and little Lulu at the same time, but who knew that Luke Spencer would end up being their savior? The whole thing still made her sick.

As she reached the landing of the staircase, she smiled as she peered through the window. Her latest plan was her greatest yet, and she knew that no one had seen in it coming. Everything had gone off without a hitch, and no one was any the wiser. She had a lucky break when a serial killer started to rip through the seaside town, providing the perfect scapegoat for the plan she had hatched. No one would suspect that there could be a second killer when they were so terrified of the first. To Helena Cassadine, the Text Message Killer had been perfection realized.

She had spent months planning everything, shadowing the citizens of Port Charles to learn the ins and outs of their lives. Her men had infiltrated the hotel, becoming guards and waiters. She had managed to get someone in at Kelly's and a handful was now on the hospital staff. With her people at the PCPD and PCU, she had every angle covered. She knew who was working where, who was sleeping with whom and who wanted to kill who. She kept up on news through the _Port Charles Herald_ and watched hours of surveillance tape from Wyndamere, various Spencer properties, the Quartermaine mansion, the Metro Court, the retched Kelly's diner and the hospital. Little happened in Port Charles that Helena didn't know about.

When she heard that her grandson was planning the Black & White Ball as a gift to that girl, Helena knew that she had found her perfect moment. Everyone was on edge between the mob war that was brewing and the recent onset of strangulation in otherwise picturesque town. With her grandson becoming more and more visibly disturbed by the day, she knew that she could take advantage of the conditions to create the perfect ruse. One phone call and the entire plan was set into motion. That night, she had boarded the plane in the remote Russian village where she had been hiding to come to the mausoleum her wonderful Mikkos had kept hidden here all these years.

In the weeks leading up to the ball, Helena watched sadly as Nikolas' condition worsened. While she was far from the loving grandmother anyone would want, she had a deep affection for her grandson. She knew that he hated her for everything that she had done, but someday, she hoped that he would understand that all of this had been for him and for their family. Once she was gone, Nikolas and his dreadfully named child would be left alone to soldier on and honor the Cassadine name. She had to teach him these lessons to do their history and traditions justice.

Now, as she watched over the fruits of her success with a wicked smile painted across her aging face, Helena was sure that she had done the right thing. Her masterful plan had not only caused much pain to her adversaries, but it had also pushed her grandson over the edge. He needed to be in a weakened state if he was ever going to submit to her. She would make him see that this was all for him. He would never know the details, and when the timing was right, she would strike again. That confidence guided her through every motion, enabling her to distance herself from any pain that her heart might feel about her ailing Nikolas.

Pushing the heavy door open, she bolted it behind her before walking over to the small refrigerator in the corner. Removing a single vial, she pressed the needle down for a moment until a few drops of clear liquid dripped out. Satisfied with the result, she strode across the room and stopped by a beeping machine. Looking over the charts, she read the numbers and quickly made deductions in her head. Careful to avoid the tubing, she peered over the edge of the bed and picked up a single red tube. Pushing the syringe into the thick plastic, she watched gleefully as it drained the drugs into the feeding system. Within a few moments, the machine chirped happily, indicating that the process had been successful.

Discarding the empty syringe into a trashcan, she made a notation on the chart and left a note for the doctor. He would be by this afternoon to check on the patient, just one of the perks of having a medical team on her very generous payroll. She unlocked the deadbolt and started to leave before turning back to gaze at her unknowingly, unwilling patient. As always, she left her with the same departing words, "Sleeping well, Little Orphan Emily," she murmured hatefully. "Your time is coming soon and all will be revealed."


	4. Chapter 4

"Wake up, Spencer."

Lucky rolled over onto his stomach, pulling the pillow over his head, to drown out the voice he had mustered up in his dreams. It had been a long, sleepless night after he got home from the hospital, but he had finally managed to fall asleep some time after the clock struck four. He was thankful that he had been given the afternoon shift, a minor reward for all the doubles he had pulled in the last year. Now, as the voice in his head called out to him, only louder this time, he couldn't help but feel disgruntled at the persistent dream.

"Spencer, wake up!"

Squinting his bright blue eyes, he peered through the harsh morning sun to one of the most ethereal, stunning images he had ever seen. Even before he sat up to wipe away sleep from his eyes, he knew that he would remember it for the rest of his life. When Lucky Spencer took his last breath, this was the picture he wanted dancing through his mind. This was the memory he wanted to cling to when he came home for good, came home to her.

With loose chestnut ringlets cascading down her back, Emily smiled back at him coyly. She bit her bottom lip as she turned away sheepishly before glancing back at him. She looked like a child who had been caught stealing from the cookie jar, a feigned innocence only she could pull off. Dressed in a flowing white silk nightgown, Lucky felt like she had been there all night. He waited for her to say something, but when she didn't, he simply moved over in the bed to make room for her. Emily took the hint and slid beneath the cool sheets beside him. It still caught him slightly off guard when he wrapped his arms around her torso and he could actually feel her warmth. It was comforting and disturbing all at once.

Resting his chin on her shoulder from behind, Lucky pressed a soft kiss to her cheek. She turned slightly to smile at him over her shoulder before nuzzling back against him. "Why didn't you give me more wake up calls like this when you were alive?" he teased before threading his fingers through hers at her hips. Emily giggled softly and shrugged. "You know what, I guess it doesn't really matter. I just know that I could wake up like this for the rest of my life."

"What if you can't?" she asked, voicing the truth that he was trying so hard to avoid. Lucky feared that there would be a day when he would wake up and she would be gone again. It had been hard enough losing her the first time, and now that they both knew how they felt about each other, it would be even more difficult to have to do it again. It was likely inevitable, but it was their reality. He was starting to hate that word, wishing instead for a world of fantasy and make believe. "We need to find out the reason for all of this, Lucky. It's the only way we can change what happens."

His father had raised him to believe that people are capable of controlling their own destinies. "Is it possible that you came back to help us solve this mystery? You weren't the first woman to die at the hands of this psychopath, and you certainly weren't the last," he retorted. "When Georgie was killed in the park and the case was linked to yours, Mac and I both knew that we were working to avenge the deaths of our girls. Maybe you came back to help us."

Emily felt at ease in Lucky's arms, a comfort that exists so readily between two lifelong friends. She didn't understand how it was possible to have fluttering butterflies dancing in her stomach if she didn't even have one to speak of. It wasn't like she got hungry or thirsty. She didn't have those same needs. However, she had all the same emotions she had the night she died – from the overwhelming sense of duty that came with loving Nikolas to the unyielding devotion she felt toward his younger brother. "I don't think that's it, Lucky," she confided. "I've tried to picture that moment, and the only thing I can tell you for sure is that it wasn't Nikolas. He was screaming at me when someone came up from behind. The man was dressed in black, and I couldn't see his face."

"Good," he replied soothingly. He traced his hands down her bare arms until they came to a rest on her wrists. Emily opened her fingers to encase them in his. She could feel his breath tickling against the back of her neck, sending chills up her spine. It seemed impossible that a ghost could have such a reaction, but she definitely felt the prickles of gooseflesh on her back. "I don't want you to remember this too quickly, so let's take it slow. Where's Nikolas?"

Closing her eyes, Emily conjured the moment of her death up in her mind. She could hear Nikolas screaming out for her just in front of her. He was laying on the ground, reaching desperately for her but unable to move. Someone is behind her, a piece of rope around her neck. She felt a sharp jab in her lower back before fading to dark. "I was pricked with something," she told him suddenly. "Nikolas was on the ground, obviously hurt from being punched. I was struggling to get away from this guy. He was trying to strangle me when I felt something just above my tailbone. Did he stab me?"

Lucky shook his head. The autopsy of Emily's body had revealed that she died from asphyxiation as a result of strangulation. There had only been a few scrapes and bruises, likely caused from the struggle that had ensued prior to her death. A true fighter, Lucky had been proud when he heard that Emily never gave up fighting for her life. It was a true memorial to the amazing woman he had always known her to be. "There wasn't any kind of puncture wound at all, Em. Are you sure that's what you felt?"

"I was almost a doctor, Spencer," she reminded him. "I had breast cancer and recuperated from paralysis after a bus accident. I was drug addict. I think I know what it feels like to be shot up with something. The man definitely injected me with something before I lost consciousness."

Shaking his head again, Lucky knew that what she was saying didn't make any sense. If there had been any kind of drugs in her system, they would have shown up when the coroner ran a toxicology screen. The medical team had been very thorough on her autopsy, carefully looking for any and all wounds. Still, he knew Emily well enough to know that when she was sure about something, there was some element of truth to it. "Then we missed something," he realized aloud. "I'm not sure how, but there is a missing piece to this story still. They didn't find any signs of drugs in your system. You barely had any alcohol in you, just a hint, probably from a glass of champagne when Nikolas made that toast. If you were injected with something, it should have shown up in your blood stream."

Rolling over to face Lucky, Emily studied his eyes for a moment. She could see now that he believed her but was perplexed by the lack of information. For a detective, there was nothing more challenging than that. "I know that it doesn't make any sense," she offered reassuringly. "I should be dead, but I don't feel dead. I felt like I was drugged, but my body says otherwise. What if everything isn't what it seems, Lucky? Is it possible that nothing is what it seems?"

Could it really be what Emily was proposing? Were they stuck in some kind of alternate universe where nothing made sense and every day was Opposite Day? It sounded more like something from one of those old science fiction movies from the 1950s that his father was so crazy about or a storybook that he would read to Cameron before bedtime. It hardly constituted any kind of real life. Then again, he was laying in bed with his dead best friend, which made no sense at all. "Your being here is proof that anything is possible," he acknowledged. "I wish I had all the answers, but I don't. I want more than anything for this to be different – for me to understand, for this to have never happened, for you to still be alive."

"That's it!" A light clicked in Emily's head and shined through her wide brown eyes. Lucky would have known that look anywhere. It was the same one she had the day she decided to go on the run with him at the ripe age of 11, and it was the same one that lit up her face when she declared that she would overcome her rape. It was one of pure, unadulterated realization. "What if I _am_ alive still?"

* * *

After standing watch over Emily's sedated body the night before, Helena had managed to find a fitful sleep in her masters' quarters at the castle. When she woke the next morning, she was briefed by the overnight medical team who had tended to her latest round of medications and made sure that she was sufficiently fed and hydrated through the intricate system of tubes that covered her body like a road map. Helena cared little for the girl but knew that she would be of no use to her if she wasn't alive. Therefore, she made sure that she received only the best medical care, including a pair of physical therapists who worked diligently each afternoon exercising her.

Helena was about to head to town for a much-needed shopping trip to some of the more exclusive local boutiques when one of her servants stopped the town car near the iron gate. Looking every part the Greek god, she smiled deliciously to herself as the man addressed her driver. She rolled down the window and snapped at him, commanding that he come to her when a problem arises and not the help. "I don't know how many times I have to tell you that I run things around here," she barked. "If there is an issue, bring it to me. What good is the driver going to do?"

The servant obediently hung his head and waited for the older woman to end her latest tirade. She had many of them daily, and they were becoming more and more frequent lately. Gossip around the compound indicated that she was thinking of returning to America and was unsure what to do with the beautiful girl's almost lifeless body. The staff knew who they had to be loyal to keep their jobs – and at times their lives – but they all shared a common affection for the girl. She was held captive as they were, unable to escape the grim realities of the world the Kyria (as she was called by the staff) had created.

"Yes, of course," he retorted in stunted English, his accent so thick that she could barely comprehend his words. Slipping into his more comfortable Greek, he pressed on with the news. "The patient is beginning to wake up. The doctors have sedated her further, but nothing seems to be working. You must return at once to deal with this most grave issue."

Rolling her eyes, Helena told the driver to turn the car around and head back toward the main house. The exquisite frocks and one-of-a-kind beaded handbags would have to wait until another day. For now, she allowed herself to be guided out of the car and led back upstairs to the tower where Emily was kept. Two doctors were looking over her charts, clearly put off by her persistent reaction the meds. "What seems to be the problem?" Helena asked hastily.

"We have doubled the dosage of the drugs that bring on the coma," explained the German. "She still isn't reacting to the medication as she should. In fact, it seems to be having the exact opposite effect on her."

"Just give her more," Helena ordered without thought. She didn't understand why they needed her for these things. Common sense would answer most of their dilemmas if they would only take a few minutes to think it out. Someone of her pedigree shouldn't have to deal with such ingrates. "Take care of it."

The other doctor, a Russian who had been with the family since her children were born, frowned at her with disapproval. "If we increase the dosage anymore, the girl will surely die," he informed her. "I know that is not what you want for Emily. You gave us strict orders to keep her alive at all costs. Are you willing to risking killing her by giving her these drugs again?"

Turning away from the doctors, Helena peered through the double paned glass to her sleeping body. The last thing she needed right now was to have her conscious and risk ruining what she had worked so hard to plan. Still, the doctor was right. The plan would be of no use if she died. "What are our options?"

"The best thing I can offer right now is to heavily sedate her using another protocol," the German suggested. "She may be awake, but it is possible that she will be so out of sorts that she won't know where she is or even who she is."

"We will have someone with her at all times," the Russian chimed in. "Nothing will have to change for the time being. As her body readjusts to these drugs, we may have to alter the plan. However, hopefully we will have enough time to make those calls as they come."

"Fine," Helena relented before waving her hand dismissively. The doctors returned to Emily's room and pulled the door shut behind them. Pressing a small button hidden in the ledge of the window, she leaned against the cold glass to listen as they worked. She spoke very little German but understood enough to comprehend what they were saying. It sounded like a risk, and both of them were just praying that it would work.

Satisfied with her choice, Helena started to head for the door. She wasn't about to let something like this pesky little inconvenience ruin a perfectly glorious afternoon. Just when her hand had reached for the door knob, she heard a familiar voice call out, sending chills down her spine. Slowly, she turned back around to look back through the window. Emily was fighting against her restraints, her eyes still shut but her body defiant. "Lucky!" she called out. Helena snarled at the distasteful name, still sickened by the pathetic excuse of a man who shared DNA with her grandson. "Lucky, I'm here! Please!"

Leaning against the door jamb, she watched as the doctors sprung into action. Emily was injected with a vial of clear liquid. A nurse worked to tighten the restraints as the movements became more erratic. After a few minutes, she returned to her peaceful state. "Lucky can't save you now, Orphan Emily," Helena smirked as the doctors filled her tubes with another medication. "No one can."


	5. Chapter 5

The surprisingly warm winter sun flooded Lucky's bare forearms as he walked across the abandoned boardwalk. Few people ventured out to this part of town during the winter months, but it had always been a special place for him. Whenever he needed to just clear his head, he would walk along the old wooden planks and wait for sense to return to his otherwise logical mind. There were very few things in his life that could really do that. Other than playing with Jake and Cam, it was really the only thing that could distract him. And after a week like the one that was coming to a close, he wanted to forget.

However, he couldn't afford such a luxury, and that wasn't what had brought him to the old piers. As he passed the Ferris wheel, he longed for the warm summers when the place was buzzing with activity. He used to come here a lot as a kid, especially after he had become friends with Emily. Whenever they grew bored of chasing the dogs around the Quartermaine mansion or hanging out at Kelly's, they would come down here and ride the rides until all hours of the night. They had spent thousands of dollars on junk food here, but they had always had one favorite snack. Smiling to himself, he felt relief as he saw the old familiar food cart open at the end of pier. He could always rely on the grape snow cones to bring him back.

After paying for the purple shaved ice, Lucky headed to their favorite bench just past the old teacup ride. He stared longingly at the brightly painted cups, thinking back to the first time he had brought her here. She had been so afraid to ride the roller coaster, claiming a fear of heights. Yet, after two trips around the tracks, she was hooked for life. They had spent entire summers traversing the small amusement park, and he counted it among his best memories. He would give anything for just one more ride on the roller coaster with her, gripping her hand as they went over the big final hill.

"Do you remember that time I almost threw up after riding the coaster seven times in a row?" Emily asked with a cheerful laugh. He turned and peered up at her, happy to see the mischievous glint in her wide brown eyes. "You were so good to me that night, holding my hair back. I remember telling my mom about it at home in my bedroom after we had dropped you off. She told me that friends like that are rare and that I should hold onto you. Luckily for both of us, one of us always held on even when the other one needed to let go."

Nodding thoughtfully, Lucky reached over to hold her hand just as he had that day. He remembered exactly the moment she was talking about. It had scared him to see his brave Emily looking so fragile. Ten years later when she was battling cancer, he felt exactly the same. "I've been thinking about what you said earlier," he told her. "I want to believe that you are still alive, but it doesn't make sense to me…not that being a ghost really makes sense. I don't understand how I can see your spirit if you're still alive."

"Like we've said before, none of this makes sense, Spencer," she reminded him. "But I have always believed that our connection transcended everything else. Our friendship outlasted every other relationship in my life. You were the one person that never left me, and even when you failed me, you managed to save me."

"Hey, I wasn't the only one doing the saving," he pointed out. "If I remember right, Quartermaine, you did plenty of it yourself when I was in a coma. Either way, we've saved each other, and if you are still alive, I am going to find a way to save you now. I just need to figure out who has you, where you are and how they got you there."

Emily moved closer to him and dipped her index finger into his snow cone. "There are some things you just never outgrow," she giggled as she sucked the sweet treat down her throat. "You're not the only one who is trying to figure this out. In fact, that's all I've been doing since I saw you last. I still am not sure how this works or where I go when I'm not with you. Anyhow, when I was gone, I tried to figure out how we could decode all of this. I think there's only way I can do that, and that is to relive the moment. I have to go back to Wyndamere and try to remember what happened in the ball room. I have to die all over again."

The thought of putting through Emily such hell tore Lucky's heart apart. There was no way he would ever ask her to do that, but if she thought that it was the only way, he would trust her instincts. If she thought that she was strong enough to survive reliving her final moments, he would be there to hold her hand. "Nikolas is getting tests done at GH for the day. I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I stopped over. We could go whenever you're ready."

Shrugging, Emily smiled up at him with the most courage she could muster. "There's no point in putting this off," she proclaimed bravely. "The sooner we get this over with, the quicker I can come home."

"Nikolas will be thrilled," he smiled kindly. Part of him was truly ecstatic at the thought of Emily coming home. There was nothing he wanted more for his best friend than to have another chance at a life that she so deserved. He knew that her return would bring so much joy to so many people – the hospital staff, Elizabeth, Nikolas and Spencer, the Quartermaine family, even Jason. Still, he couldn't deny the envy and slight dread he felt about her return. Emily would no longer be only his when she came back. She would go back to the woman that she was before, and that woman had loved his only brother. "So many people will be happy. You're right, we shouldn't wait."

Staying behind for a moment, Emily watched as Lucky headed toward his car. His steps were slow as he quickly realized that she wasn't by his side. He turned back to gaze at her perched on the bench, staring at him pensively. "Don't think for a moment that I've forgotten all of this," she called out to him. He crossed his hands over his chest as he waited for her to catch up with him. Once she had fallen into step beside him, they continued their short walk to the car. "Lucky, I'm not the same person I was when I left. I may not know where I am physically, but I know where I am emotionally. I still have control over my heart, and I've never been more aware of how I feel."

"You were engaged to Nikolas. I don't expect that to have changed just because you reappeared to me and not him," he confided. He didn't want to put any additional pressure on the situation or build up any false hope in his heart. "Em, I just want you to come home. It doesn't matter what happens next. We can figure that out later. The most important thing is bringing you back to me."

"To _you_," she repeated. "That's what I am trying to do, Lucky. There is a reason I chose you to come back to. Maybe it took death to figure it out, but the part of me that was afraid to love you three years ago cannot deny that something changed the moment that I died. I am being given a second chance, and I want to take that chance with you. Don't shut me out before we get that."

He smiled at her sadly. "We just need to get you home and then you can decide what you want to do. I won't hold you to anything until I get to hold you."

Emily stopped and held her arms out. "You can hold me now," she retorted. Lucky bit his bottom lip and walked to her. They wrapped their arms around each other and held on tightly, wanting a fleeting moment to last an eternity. Anyone passing by would have thought that he was crazy and clearly delusional. Part of him would probably have to agree with an innocent bystander. However, the biggest part of him wouldn't care what anyone thought because he had her in his arms. When she finally pulled away and broke the hug, she slid her hand down his arm until she was clutching his hand. "Let's go."

A half hour later, Lucky stepped off the launch and looked up at the dark mansion. He had always hated coming out to Spoon Island. He had only been a few times since Emily died, not wanting to return to the scene of so much devastation. He didn't understand how Nikolas could still live in that house knowing what had happened there. Maybe it was because they had shared so many times in that place, but it was only filled with sadness for Lucky. In fact, the only time that place had seemed light whatsoever was when Emily was there, filling it with joy and laughter to the rafters.

When he let himself into the living room, he wasn't at all surprised to see Alfred quickly and obediently appear. "Good afternoon, Master Spencer," he greeted the younger man dutifully. "As you may be aware, Master Cassadine is still in town at General Hospital. The car will be fetching him within the hour if you would like to wait for him."

"Actually, I just came here to look in at the ballroom," he told Alfred. "Emily has been on my mind all day, and I kind of just wanted to sit in there for awhile and think about her. It seems kind of morbid to return to where she died, but it was the last place she was alive. And when she danced with Nikolas, I guess it was probably the last place she was happy."

Alfred smiled sadly as he thought about the beautiful woman who had been so patient with him. "Of course, that would be no problem at all," he allowed. "The room should be open. I will call on you when Master Cassadine returns. If you should need anything, please do not be afraid to come find me."

"Thanks," Lucky replied before heading out of the room and down the empty hallway. His footsteps echoed on the marble floor. Emily followed behind her, her steps not making any sound. He felt lonely when he heard his unmatched sounds. She was there, but she wasn't. He didn't remember that too often when they were together, but there were moments when it was undeniable. This was one of those moments. Finally, when they reached their dreaded destination, he let Emily into the room and followed her in. "Well, here it is."

Emily stopped immediately and looked around, remembering the last moments she had been here. Images of an angry Nikolas came flashing into her mind as tidbits of conversation came flooding back to her. "We fought in the doorway," she remembered aloud. "Nikolas kept telling me to go, but I wouldn't. I didn't want to leave him."

"Good," he replied soothingly. He had been through a recall of these moments with her before, so he knew how to handle it. Stepping beside her, he rubbed small circles on her back and waited for her to continue.

Closing her eyes, she allowed the events to unfold again. She could see Nikolas falling on the ground and could feel the medications being injected into her body. However, just before it went dark this time, she remembered turning around to look at her attacker. Behind the mask, she could see a pair of familiar eyes staring back at her. There was something icy and disconcerting about the way the person was looking back at her. "It was a woman," she told him.

"A woman?" he asked, clearly surprised. He had been so sure that it was a woman the entire time. "Em, are you sure?"

She shook her head confidently. "There was a man there at first, that must have been who grabbed me," she deducted. "After I got stabbed with the needle, I remember turning around to look at who was there. A man stepped away and there was a small woman behind him. She was just staring at me from behind her mask. I recognized her."

"Who is it, Emily?"

Squinting her eyes shut again, she replayed the final moments over in her head. Dropping her jaw, she suddenly realized who was there. "Helena."


	6. Chapter 6

Thinking back, Lucky wasn't sure why he hadn't thought of it sooner. It had been many, many months since anyone had heard from Helena last, but as a Spencer, he knew never to underestimate the power of the woman. She had caused much pain and suffering to his family over the years, but nothing could compare to the loss he felt over Emily. The rage that burned through his body was white hot, and he was determined to exact revenge like his family had never managed before. There were a lot of holes in the story still, but he trusted her instincts. If Emily had seen Helena the night of the Black and White Ball, there was no doubt in his mind that she was behind this.

"I am going to find her and kill her," he declared confidently. He was pacing the floor frantically, trying to come up with the slightest idea of where she could be. "As soon as I figure this out, I am going to find her and make sure that she pays for everything she has ever done to my family. More importantly, I am going to make her pay for doing this to us."

Emily leaned against the door frame, quietly watching him work everything out in his head. She knew that she would have to have a logical conversation with him about this, but he needed to get out his feelings first. She was the first to admit that there was a lot of reason to hate Helena, but she didn't want Lucky to kill her. It wasn't that she believed the woman's life should be spared. Emily just didn't want him to have to live the rest of his life with that on his shoulders. When he finally stopped walking, she slipped behind him and wrapped her arms around him. "One step at a time," she reminded him. "That's how we have to do this, Spencer. There is still a lot that we don't know."

He turned around in her arms and gazed down into her big chocolate eyes. He could find the answer to a million questions in that stare. Reaching up, he tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You have such a calming effect on me," he murmured as she pressed her head into his chest. She rubbed her hands over his back, massaging small circles through the thin fabric of his shirt. "Em, I can't let her go free. She needs to see what she has done. I need for her to pay."

"She didn't take me away from you, Lucky," Emily reminded him. "Somehow, I'm still here. I'm stuck between the past and the future, holding on by a thread until we can figure this out. You have to talk to Nikolas and find out what he knows. I've remembered all that I can for right now. Your brother might have a clue as to where she could be."

Lucky nodded knowingly. "I will talk to him as soon as he gets back. He is going to want to know why I am so intent on finding Helena," he retorted. "I don't want to tell him about you, at least not yet." A masked look passed over his face as he turned away from her.

Emily could read his sudden change in mood immediately as she reached out for his hand and turned him back toward her. "I am not going to back to him," she promised. She knew that he was scared of losing her. He had told her that more than once. They had only found their way back to each other and in many ways, they had found their way together for the very first time. "I don't think that you heard what I said earlier, Spencer. I said that Helena didn't take me away from _you_. The moment she injected me with that needle, she took me away from Nikolas. Something clicked inside of me and the light finally came on. I can't go back to the way things were, and given the chance, I don't think that I would even want to."

"I'm not going to hold you to anything," he vowed. "I want you back no matter. If that means that you are my best friend and sister-in-law, I am still going to be the luckiest guy in the world. Em, I just need you in my life. That's all I've ever needed. I tried this whole living thing without you, and it just didn't work."

A small smile spread across her pert lips as she stepped back into his waiting arms. Standing on her tiptoes, she stared straight into his eyes. It wasn't the first time she had kissed him, and she knew that it wouldn't likely be her last. However, when she was an old woman with her grandchildren at her side, she would tell them of this kiss. She knew that moments like these are what dreams are made of. "You have me."

"You know how many bad things that very thought has gotten me through?" he asked her. They had been through a lot together, and their friendship was a testimony to that history. "No matter what was going on in my life, I could always count on you to show up and be there with me. Not for me or in spite of me, but _with_ me. Even the times I didn't deserve it…whether I was strung out on drugs and ruining everything in my life or holding you to some kind of impossible standard, you refused to give up on us. I guess it's my turn to have that same determination."

Looping her arm through his, Emily leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. He could feel the faint tickle of her breath on his neck. The physical reaction his body had to her presence was still eerie. She was here, but she wasn't. "I can't believe that I am about to say this, but this all reminds me of Carly."

"Carly?" Lucky snorted, knowing full well how she felt about his cousin. He had never really had much use for the blonde either, but he still felt some loyalty to her because she was family. The Spencers stuck up for their own. "How in the world could this remind you of Carly?"

"I never really understood my brother's friendship with her. It seemed like she was always doing something to ruin his life, whether it was forcing him to put her family first or barging into his life. I didn't understand how he didn't just kick her out of his life," she explained. "But when I really think about it, it makes sense. Jason loves Carly. It's as simple as that. He accepts her for who she is. Carly loves Jason just as he is. No one else could be that for each other. They complete each other in a way that no one else really could. As much as I don't like that woman, she makes my brother a better man. She makes him happy. He loves her and those boys more than anything in the world. No one else comes first in his life. She's his soulmate just like your mine."

Now, Lucky wasn't sure that he really believe in the concept of soulmates, but he liked the idea of belonging to Emily. He could see the similarities in their friendship, though he wouldn't say that they were quite as extreme as Carly and Jason. However, their undying devotion to one another definitely rang true, and if he was going to compare his relationship with Emily to anyone, he could do a lot worse than the infamous Jarly duo. "She would die if she heard you saying anything nice about you."

"Luckily for me, you're the only one who can hear or see me," she giggled.

"Yeah, well, we're going to have to find a way to change that soon," he chuckled in return.

"Change what?" a familiar voice announced from behind him. Lucky turned and looked over his shoulder to find Nikolas standing in the doorway. His brother looked worn and anxious but still better than he had in the months since Emily's death. The surgery and its ensuing recovering had been hell, but he had managed to get through it. Only now was he beginning to regain any sense of normalcy. He had even managed to make a friend out of one of the staff nurses, Nadine. "Who were you talking to?"

"I was just thinking about Emily," Lucky lied. He glanced to the empty space beside him, knowing that he looked as though he had been talking to himself. "She's been on my mind all day, so I thought that I would come over here and visit you. When Alfred said that you were out, I decided to come down here and spend some time with her."

Nikolas grimaced as he looked around the dank ballroom. No one had set foot in it since the night of the ball, and he hadn't felt brave enough to return. "I don't really want to be in here," he confessed. "Why don't you come into the sitting room so that we can talk?"

Lucky followed his older brother obediently back to the dark living room. Nikolas poured himself a crystal tumbler filled with water and slipped behind his desk. He avoided looking at the framed picture of Emily that sat prominently on the surface. Instead, he shuffled a stack of papers and thought of something to talk to his brother about. He was temporarily reprieved when the younger man spoke up.

"They are still trying to figure out all the details surrounding Emily's death, and I wanted to ask you a few questions. I know that this might be hard, Nik, but I really need to find out what happened." Without looking up at his brother, Nikolas nodded his permission. Lucky jumped in immediately. "Now, I know that everyone naturally assumed that this entire thing was connected to the Text Message Killer because of Emily's relationship with Jason. However, I don't want to rule out the possibility that it could have been a second party capitalizing on the hype surrounding the strangulations."

"Who would want to come after Emily?" Nikolas snorted. It was unfathomable that anyone would hold anything against his fiancée. She had been a kind, gentle soul who had never really hurt anyone. "It's pretty clear that she was strangled in the same way that Leticia and Georgie were killed, Lucky. Whoever this psychopath is just wanted to hurt Jason like they were trying to do when they grabbed Sam and Carly."

Shaking his head, Lucky started to disagree with his brother. "I don't think so, Nikolas. I really think that this is an isolated event," he countered. "I don't have anything definite to go on, but my instinct is telling me that someone else is behind Emily's murder. I can only think of one person who hated Em enough to want to see her dead, and that is your grandmother. When is the last time you heard from Helena?"

"My grandmother is locked in an insane asylum in Siberian Russia," Nikolas pointed out. "The staff there has strict instructions to inform me if she even misses a meal. Do you really think that I wouldn't know if she managed to escape? There is no way that Helena could be behind this, so you can stop your conspiracy theories. I can't afford to entertain such thoughts given my condition."

"Nikolas, I just want to make sure we cover every possible angle…"

"Look, I have told you and every other cop or detective who has questioned me every detail I can remember repeatedly. I wish I could remember the bastard that took Emily away from us, but I was having an episode. My brain has blocked it out or I blacked out or something. Either way, I don't remember what the hell happened! I can't keep reliving her murder over and over again. I am trying to get past this, and I recommend you try doing the same!"

Emily reappeared over Nikolas' shoulder, tears streaming down her porcelain face. It pained Lucky to see her in such anguish at the brutal honesty of Nikolas' words. His eyes locked with hers, comforting her without words. "I can't get past Emily. You don't just get past the people that you love."

"That's not what I mean, and you know it," Nikolas protested. "I just can't keep living my life in the past. I have the chance to live again, and I have to live up to that for my son. I don't want to dwell on her memory forever. I loved Emily with all that I had, but she's gone. I need to figure out what my life is going to look like without her."

"I'm sorry that I just can't move on as easily as you can," Lucky spat bitterly. He knew that he wasn't being fair, but he wanted his brother to feel the same agony that consumed him. He wanted Nikolas to be as adamant about finding Emily's killer as he was. It infuriated him that his brother was so glib and disconnected. In reality, he knew that wasn't the case, that it was a brave front to try to have any real sort of chance at a life. He had found someone to give him hope when he connected to Nadine. "I have to go."

"Okay," Nikolas said dismissively, averting his gaze to the file in his hands. "Bring Cam and Jake by to visit when you get the chance. I'm sure that Spencer would love the chance to spend some time with his cousins. I'd like to have you and Elizabeth over for dinner with the boys soon, if that's okay. I know it might be hard for you, but Spencer needs to spend some time with his family."

"Anything for my nephew," Lucky remarked. "Invite Lu and just let me know the time. I will be on my best behavior." Nikolas laughed appreciatively before waving goodbye to his brother. Lucky quietly left the sitting room, strode through the foyer and slammed the heavy front door behind him. Alone again, he stood in the courtyard, feeling thankful to be out of that place. He knew even before she said something that he wasn't really alone. "I'm sorry."

"I don't want him to be alone, Spencer," she reminded him. "More than anything, I want him to be happy. That's why I was crying, don't you see? Nikolas is moving on with his life, being the father that he needs to be. It wasn't about sadness. They were grateful tears. The last thing I want him to do is miss out on his life because I can't be apart of it."

"Is that how you feel about me too?"

Emily nodded slightly. "In a way, yes," she answered. "But you're different, Lucky. I am apart of your life because I am apart of you. No matter what happens after this, nothing will change that. That's what I was trying to say earlier when I was talking about Carly and Jason. Even if I am gone, I am still going to live your life with you."

"What if you're not really gone?"

"Lucky, you know that I'm dead. You saw my body. You cried over me, held my hand. You were there with Elizabeth. You helped her get Nikolas through the funeral."

"I know that all those things seem to be true," he relented. "But I also know that this is real. I know that I can see you and hear you and smell you and feel you. I even tasted you earlier when we kissed. You still taste like honey and vanilla. None of those things should be possible, but they are. This might be possible, too."


	7. Chapter 7

It was early in the morning, and the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon. Helena sat at the window in her private office, staring at the immaculate Greek sky, wishing not for the first time that her husband was still alive to share the breathtaking view wit her. Only in her quiet moments alone did she allow herself to reminisce about her beloved, remembering all that they had shared in their years together. Although their marriage had faltered on more than one occasion, he had always come back to her. It was in his memory and the honor that the Cassadine name stood for that Helena did everything. This was how she could justify what she was doing to Emily.

"Just a few more days," she whispered bitterly to herself as she turned back toward her desk. Glancing at the monitor just to her left, she noted that Emily was still sleeping after her latest round of medication. Helena had carefully instructed the medical team to increase her dosage and to make sure that it was administered promptly on time. They had had a close call the other night, and she wouldn't risk a repeat episode. She had a carefully crafted plan and each step was just as critical as the step before it. The entire operation hinged on Emily and she couldn't afford for it to fall apart now. "I'll be home again in just a few more days."

The arrangements had already been made. She had chartered a private jet to fly back to New York so that she could have the entire medical team on board without having to answer any questions required by civilian travel. It was the only way she would be able to get Emily back to Port Charles without having to come up with an explanation. They would be able to quietly return home and then set the final phase into motion. So far, no one suspected a thing.

Reaching for the phone, Helena punched in the number that would connect her to the medical office below. She watched on the screen as the doctor answered her call on the first ring. "How is my darling granddaughter-in-law this morning?" she asked icily. The doctor smiled up toward the camera to acknowledge her presence. Everyone on her staff knew how carefully she monitored Emily. "I want to make sure that she is prepared to travel. We leave for America in less than 48 hours. We can't chance anything happening to her between now and then."

"Everything is going according to plan, Mrs. Cassadine," the doctor promised her dutifully. "Emily is receiving her medication per your schedule and should be ready for departure whenever the time comes. I've also spoken to your staff in the States and everything that you need there is already in place. They will be on the ground waiting when we arrive at the airport."

"Good," she retorted before hanging up the telephone without another word. As soon as she was back in Port Charles, Helena planned to lure Nikolas in by using Emily. She knew that he would be so grateful that she was still alive that he would be far too distracted to realize anything else going on around him. Emily was the perfect bargaining chip for Helena to regain everything she had lost, including her grandson and great grandson. No one would ever see it coming. "All in all, a perfect plan."

They had had a close call the other night when Emily had nearly woken up. It had surprised her to hear the little orphan girl calling out for that dreadful Spencer boy rather than her prince. Nikolas had the makings of Greek god while Lucky was nothing short of common. He would never be the one to save her, this Helena was sure of. Like his father, he could barely manage to save himself. "What a waste," she tittered to herself as she leafed through a stack of papers. "Even in a coma, you can't do anything right. Only you would depend on that trash to save you."

Turning back toward the window, Helena's eyes fell upon a sterling silver frame that sat on the sill. She had taken it of Nikolas when he was just a toddler, playing on the sandy shore of the Aegean Sea. His eyes were like liquid coal, his hair as black as ink. She had never seen such a beautiful little boy, although Spencer would come close. "Whatever happened to that dutiful little boy who knew his place in this world?" she wondered aloud. She had given him everything, left the world waiting for him right at his fingertips. Instead, he had chosen to have a family in the Spencer riffraff and fell for a commoner like Emily. Even though she had the Quartermaine surname, anyone who really mattered knew that she hadn't been born into the family. She was still a Bowen. "It's time that I show him that place again. She took him away from me, but this time, I will take him away from her."

Helena truly believed that she had devised the perfect plan, devoid of any escape clauses or loopholes. The only thing she couldn't count on was transcendence of time, logic and reality. She couldn't have predicted that Emily's spirit would be so strong that she could actually connect to her best friend while her life hung in the balance. There was no way she would have ever considered the possibility that Nikolas wasn't the one she would want to come back to. No one would have seen any of this coming except two people – Lucky and Emily. While Helena privately celebrated her successes, they were slowly figuring things out half way across the world.

"Em, please stop looking at me like I'm crazy," he implored as he paced the room. They had been mostly silent since he had hypothesized that she might still be with him. Emily didn't want to believe it because if it wasn't real, it would be a different kind of death. This would kill her heart and her soul. He had to believe that it was real because it was the only way he would get her back. "I know you don't believe me, but there has to be a way. I don't think you're really dead."

Shaking her head, Emily couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Come on, Spencer, wishful thinking isn't going to get us anywhere. I meant what I said at Wyndamere. I am always going to be with you no matter what. I just didn't mean in the physical sense. You know that I'm dead, Lucky. Stop trying to rewrite history."

"I'm not," he insisted, cradling his head in his hands. He was growing frustrated with her inability to trust him. "You asked me to believe when you came to me that first night. You convinced me that there was a reason for this, Em. Now, I am thinking that your life was my reason. You came back here so that I could save you. You can fight me as much as you want to, but it's not going to change just how real this is. You're here with me."

"I never said that I wasn't," she pointed out. She was standing across the room from him now, her arms crossed over her body defiantly. "I don't want you to mourn over me again. You need to accept that I came back here to help you find out what happened to me, not to bring me back to life. It's already too late for that."

"You came back here for me to _save_ your life. You never died, Emily," he argued. "You don't have to believe me if you don't want to, but I am asking you to believe in us. That kind of faith in our connection has never steered you wrong in the past, and I promise that it won't steer you wrong now. As much as I know that I am standing here breathing now, I know that you are alive now."

Emily closed her eyes and bit her bottom lip, willing herself not to believe. She didn't want to be heartbroken when reality reared its ugly head and they both realized that she truly was gone and would never truly come back to him. "These past few days, I have received the most incredible gift of my life. I got the chance to fall in love with my best friend. Apart of me has always known that I loved you, but being here now, I get to live it. We have something that no one could ever take away, but if we believe in this and I'm not alive, we are going to lose everything. I can't let us believe in something that might not be there."

Standing up, Lucky quickly closed the distance between them. Lifting her chin, he stared intently into her eyes. "Oh, it's there," he assured her breathily. "I know that you see it in my eyes. I know that you feel it in my touch. Em, you can talk big about not wanting to believe, but I know that you believe it in this moment. As sure as I am about all these things, I am equally as confident that nothing can take it away. As long as we stay strong and fight this together, nothing will take you from me."

"Something already has," she said pointedly. "I'm not here with you right now. My spirit managed to find its way back, but what good is that if I don't have breath in my body? For all I know, this could just be a dream that neither of us can wake from. It's entirely possible that you've made this all up in your head. I don't doubt that you love me, Spencer, not even for a second. I just doubt the circumstances that led us to that realization and what is to come."

"Helena managed to keep me drugged for months when I supposedly died in that fire," he remembered. "My entire family thought that I had perished in those flames. A year later, I returned to a life that I barely remembered. Do you remember the first place I went when I came back? It was to see you, Em. You were my sense of direction when nothing else made sense. You were the one thing that I could remember all those months in my drug-induced haze. If that was possible, I know that this is."

Emily remembered what it had been like that year without Lucky. It was probably the hardest of her life. She had overdosed on drugs and watched her family fall apart. She had pulled away from Emily and Nikolas, the only two friends she had left in the world. Everything had been a struggle since the night she had lost Lucky, but when he crawled through her window, everything had been instantly restored. Just as she had been his sense of direction, he had been her redemption. They were resurrected that night, and together, a million times sense. "If Helena had you and managed to make us all believe that you were dead for a year, then she could do it again."

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" he exclaimed. Reaching up, he tangled his fingers in her hair and drew her closer to him. There was so much symmetry to their lives and he was only beginning to see how interwoven they were. "I have to find Helena, Em. She is the answer to this whole thing. I kept telling you that there was a missing piece to the puzzle, and it's her. Once I find her, I will be able to bring you home again."

"Home," she whispered, allowing herself to believe it possible for the first time. "You have to find me, Lucky. I have to come home. You can't let her take me away from you again."

Pressing his forehead to hers, he promised her everything that he had with only a look. "Just keep telling me that until I can hold you again," he murmured. She licked her lips in anticipation of what was to come before he kissed her gently and fully. "Just keep telling me that."


	8. Chapter 8

Lucky sat alone in the smallest bedroom of his cottage, staring vacantly over the small garden in his backyard through the window. He had turned the room into a home office when Elizabeth moved out, converting it from a playroom to a work space. The boys each had their own bedrooms at the house, and in their limited time that they were there, it was more than enough space to house all their toys. With her hectic schedule, he wanted to be able to work at home in case she got caught at the hospital and needed someone to watch Cameron and Jake. It was the perfect compromise, and now, as he turned back to his computer, he was glad he had made the choice. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the proper equipment to research all that he needed to know about the Helena situation.

However, even with the vast wealth of resources at his fingertips, Lucky still wasn't sure which direction to take. He had thought about asking Nikolas for help, but after their last episode, it was clear his older brother wasn't interested in helping. He had his own things to worry about with the brain tumor. Lucky knew it wasn't that Nikolas didn't care; it was just hard to put hope in something that escaped logic. Nikolas was doing the best that he could to move forward with his life, trying to get healthy for the sake of his son and unsuspecting blonde nurse who didn't realize that they were falling for each other.

Without having Nikolas to turn to, Lucky knew that there was only one other person who could help him. This man had always been up for a caper, especially when it came to the dark Cassadine family. No one had dedicated their lives to taking down the empire more than Luke Spencer. Although he was still recovering from the heart surgery, Lucky was sure that his father would be more than willing to help out. He'd always had a soft spot for Emily and would do anything for a little excitement. As he shoved a stack of papers into a manila envelope, Lucky had resigned himself to the fact that he was going to have to trek across town to the Quartermaine mansion to ask for help.

Fifteen short minutes later, Lucky shoved his car keys into his pocket and navigated the stone path that led from the expansive driveway to the front door of the Quartermaine house. Lucky had spent many hours in his adolescence in this house, chasing Emily through the hallways while their matching dogs bound after them. Edward had always grumbled about the Spencer brat, but the rest of the family had a special affection for him. He had become an honorary member of the family when Lila decided that she loved him. The matriarch had always loved Luke and Laura, so it was only natural that she would embrace their children. Now, as he waited for someone to answer the door, he thought of the old woman fondly and hoped that she was somewhere watching over him now. He could use all the guardian angels he could get, and with her help, he was sure that he would be able to bring Emily back home to the family that missed her so much.

"Well, good afternoon, Mr. Spencer," Alice greeted him warmly, clearly surprised to see him. Lucky didn't make it by the mansion much, preferring to meet up with his father at his favorite haunts around town. Since Emily had died, it had become too difficult to come out to the house. There were too many memories wrapped up in that place. "I am guessing that you are here to see your father. If you will just follow me inside, I will take you into the sitting room where he is resting."

Lucky smiled thankfully at the burly redhead and followed her into the grand foyer. The soft scent of roses filled the room immediately. Lila had always tended a master garden, a task Emily had taken over once her grandmother died. Now that they were both gone, the estate staff had made it their special project to keep the roses in bloom. Alice disappeared into the living room for a moment before returning. "Right this way," she told him, holding the door open for him to pass through. Once inside the room, the maid walked over to her favorite person in the house, his father. "Is there anything else I can get you, Mr. Luke?"

"No, Alice, this is great for now," he told her with a wink. Alice giggled femininely at his flirtation before heading out toward the kitchen. When she was gone, Luke turned to regard his son. "Well, hello, Cowboy. It's been a long time since you graced me with your presence."

"I've been busy," he said with a shrug. He knew that he should have been by to visit his father, but there was always a reason that kept him away. Whether it was the boys and Elizabeth or an important case or now this thing with Emily, he hadn't been the son he should be. However, of all the people in his life, he knew that Luke would understand. It wasn't like he had ever been a model parent. "How are you feeling anyways?"

Luke flashed his trademark grin, a hint of mischief dancing in his clear eyes. "Well, Tracey is keeping me on a pretty tight leash, and Alice is making sure that the entire staff sticks to my prescribed health plan," he admitted. "But I still manage to sneak the occasional drink or cigar here and there. And before you start with the lecture, you can just save your breath. Life isn't worth living if you can't share it with the things you love."

While Lucky would never agree that a life without cigars and scotch isn't worth living, he could draw a parallel to his own life. While Luke loved his vices, Lucky had a more traditional reliance on the people in his life. "I couldn't agree with you more," he declared. "In fact, that's kind of why I'm here. I have a problem, and I need your help."

"Is this of the legal or illegal nature?" Luke questioned. The last thing he wanted to do was help his son's pursuit for police greatness. He was secretly proud of the man Lucky had become, but he still didn't like that he had raised a cop. "What's up, Son?"

"This is going to sound crazy," Lucky revealed as he sat down at the opposite end of the couch from his father. He was quiet for a moment as his eyes drifted toward the mantle and rested on a photograph taken of Emily a few years ago. He had one just like it on the fireplace at home. "I don't think Emily is really gone. In fact, I think Helena might be holding her somewhere so that she can use her against Nikolas and regain control of the Cassadine fortune."

Luke considered it for a moment. It certainly wouldn't be the first time the Cassadines had pulled off such a feat. More than one person in that family had come back from the dead, and they had resurrection down to a science. Helena had likely learned how to perfect a kidnapping and it was possible that the Quartermaine orphan turned Cassadine princess was alive and well. "If Helena has her, she's hiding somewhere in Greece or Russia," he decided. "They own a lot of property in Europe, and their servants are very loyal. She would pick somewhere secluded but still close to a major city or seaport. There would be an entire staff living on the compound to tend to every need. What details do you have?"

"Not many," his son admitted. "I believe that Emily was injected the night of the Black and White Ball with some kind of serum that would slow her heartbeat almost to the point it was undetectable. Once they removed her body from Wyndamere, Helena had a team in place to basically kidnap Emily's lifeless body. I think that wherever that psychopath has Em, she is keeping her drugged. She might be in a coma, but she is definitely powerless."

To the normal person, such a tale would seem impossible, but they weren't talking about a reasonable person. Stranger things had happened in Port Charles, but still, Luke had to wonder how his son was so sure of the details. He couldn't have come up with them all on his own. He had to have some kind of clues to put the story together. "Were there any witnesses?"

Lucky knew that this was where the story was going to get a little sticky. The last thing he wanted to do was admit to his father that he was seeing a ghost, but he knew that he would have to. He could only pray that he wouldn't call him crazy like they had Tracy once she started seeing Alan. "Emily told me."

"You spoke to her?"

"Not exactly," Lucky attempted to explain. "It all started about a week ago. I was at the house, looking through an old photo album, just thinking about Emily. I was going over all the things I wished I could talk to her about, and then there she was. I thought that she would go away because I knew that it couldn't be real. I just figured that my loneliness had conjured up an image of her for comfort, but she came back. I could smell her, I could hear her, I could see her, I could feel her. She was as real to me as when she was alive. Eventually, we started trying to figure out why she had come back."

"And then what happened?" Luke drawled carefully. Even he was having a hard time buying the story, but he trusted his son enough to know that it was at least real to him. He wouldn't risk anyone hearing the tale if he wasn't sure of its validity himself. "Why do you think she came back?"

"At first, I was sure that I was supposed to solve her case, but after awhile, I started to realize that something didn't add up. There were too many holes in her story. So much was unaccounted for," he retorted. "One night, after she appeared to me, she remembered the shot. It took awhile for her to remember the details, but they came back to her. From there, we deducted a few other things that led us to believe that she was still alive. She can see Helena but not much else. That's really as far as we've gotten. I tried to talk to Nikolas, but he doesn't want any part of it. I can't say I blame him, but I have to do this. I have to bring Emily home."

The urgency in his tone left his father feeling a little taken aback. He hadn't counted on the desperation in Lucky's voice. Luke recognized it immediately as he had spoken the same way when Laura was kidnapped. His beautiful angel had been taken away from him many times, and now, he doubted that he would ever get her back. He would not let his son endure the same lifetime of pain without the woman he loved. "If you want to bring Emily home, we will do it," he proclaimed confidently. "Love is stronger than hate. Helena doesn't have a chance against the two of you."

He wasn't at all surprised that his father had picked up on how he felt about Emily. He was only relieved that he didn't have to explain himself anymore. "This much I know."

"Helena kidnapped your mother a long time ago and terrorized her. She made Laura believe that I was dead and forced her into a marriage with Stavros. Helena hated your mother, and I believe that hatred grew even deeper when Nikolas was born," Luke remembered. "I didn't understand why for years, until after we found out about the Prince, but I think she was jealous of your mother. She was loved by Nikolas in a way that she would never be. The last remaining part of her family had basically shunned her. When Laura became catatonic, Helena focused all that hatred on Emily."

"When she comes home to Port Charles, I am going to do my damnedest to make sure that no one in that family ever hurts us again," Lucky vowed. His family had paid enough for the dark tendencies of the Cassadines. "Where do we go from here?"

Luke walked across the room to a tall bookshelf, scanning the shelves for an atlas. Returning to the couch, he spread the book of maps out for his son to see. They looked at the European continent for a moment before Luke turned to a big picture of Russia. Glancing over the list of cities, his index finger rested one for a moment. "There it is," he announced. "Helena has a safe house just outside this village."

Lucky nodded before pulling out his cell phone. Within a few minutes, he had ordered a pair of plane tickets that would leave New York that night. Luke was excited at the idea of another adventure and another opportunity to take down his arch nemesis. Lucky, on the other hand, was anxious about finding Emily. He had no idea what he was walking into or what she would be like. He prayed that they would be able to pull this off because he was not willing to accept any other outcome. He had made a promise to her. Emily was coming home.


	9. Chapter 9

It was some time in the middle of the night, and the airplane was somewhere over the middle of the ocean when Lucky finally closed the lid to his laptop to try to sleep. He had been working feverishly since take off, scouring files upon files for the slightest indication or hint about Helena's whereabouts. Nikolas had been kind enough to give him permission to the Cassadine holdings as well as any of their subsidiaries, but it hadn't proven too helpful. The best direction he had still came from his father, who had passed out drunk next to him after four glasses of scotch three hours ago.

Reaching back, Lucky adjusted the airline pillow and tried to make himself as comfortable as the coach accommodations would allow. His brother had offered his private jet, but it would have taken too long to get the crew and plane ready for Lucky. He wanted to take off immediately, hesitant to prolong the situation any further. Every minute that ticked by was one that he spent without Emily. With thoughts of her driving his every move and motive, the only thing he wanted right now was to see her.

Lucky turned to his side to stare out the window. The sky was black, and the only thing he could make out was the faint silver outline of the airplane wing. The last time he had been on a long plane flight had been with Emily was a few years ago when Nikolas was just beginning to sneak around with Courtney. It was the summer that he finally admitted to himself that he was in love with his best friend. So much time had passed since those long, lazy days before he had become a father. It was before he reunited with Elizabeth and before Emily found her way back to Nikolas. It was before Cameron had become his son, before Spencer was born, before Liz lied to him about Jake's paternity.

"You know, I remember that vacation too," Emily cooed in his ear. Lucky looked at the previously empty seat that separated him from his father. She was leaning back with a reminiscent smile painted across her frosted lips. "The timing was just off, that's all. It wasn't that I didn't love you. It was that I was afraid to love anyone then. If I had been more open to it, maybe everything would have been different."

Looking down at where her hand rested comfortably on the armrest next to him, Lucky could only shake his head. "I can't regret that the timing was bad, Em," he revealed. "I loved you so much that summer, the best I knew how to love anyone at that point. I couldn't imagine loving another human being as much as I love you, but then I met someone that changed it all."

Emily bit her bottom lip sheepishly as he reached down to cover her hand with his. She immediately curled her fingers in his palm, relieved to feel a connection to him. It still didn't make sense that they could be together like this, even on a crowded plane somewhere over the Atlantic. However, it felt real, and right now, it was about the only thing she could feel. "Right, I wouldn't want you to regret your time with Elizabeth. I know that you loved each other very much."

"I'm not talking about Elizabeth," he smiled into her eyes. "If you hadn't gone back to Nikolas and if I hadn't found my way to her, I would have never become a father. Your rejection ultimately led me to the best decision I have ever made, and that was the choice to be Cameron's father. That little boy is the love of my life. I know that neither of the boys is mine biologically, but I am there father in every way that counts. I wouldn't have gotten that chance if we had been together."

"Well, I guess I'm glad that I broke your heart," she giggled beside herself. Lucky grinned back at her as she leaned her head on his shoulder. He couldn't tell if he was actually having the conversation aloud or if it was all in his head. He was just glad to see her again. "I guess you're coming to find me now. I can't believe you got your father to come."

"An opportunity to take down Helena and a free trip out of Port Charles – are you kidding me? This might be the best thing I have ever done for my father," Lucky pointed out. "Besides, you know that he has always had a soft spot for you. He has always referred to you as his very favorite princess, after all. Other than Lila, you were the only Quartermaine that he thought was worth a damn for the longest time. Who'd thought that he'd end up falling in love with Tracy?"

"Well, I hope you find me very soon because I won't break your heart this time. I can't wait until we can be together. I love you, Lucky."

Squeezing his blue eyes shut, Lucky turned back toward the window. "I love you, Em."

Suddenly, he felt someone shaking him. Forcing his eyes opened, he wasn't surprised to see the seat empty again and a confused Luke looking at him worriedly. "I think you were talking to yourself, Cowboy. You were muttering something about the Quartermaines and professing your love to Emily."

A crimson blush crept its way up Lucky's neck as he waved his hand dismissively. "It was just a dream, Dad. I was just thinking about Emily before I went to sleep and I must have dreamt about her. It's nothing. You can go back to sleep."

"I don't think it's nothing," Luke argued. It was rare that he tried to give his son any kind of advice, but for some reason, he felt the urgent need to help him. If she was here, Laura would have exactly the right words to paste her son's broken heart back together. She would know what to do to make him believe that everything was going to be okay. His guardian angel was always the eternal optimist of the Spencer clan. He, on the other hand, was the world's biggest skeptic. "It's okay to let yourself love her."

Turning to his father, Lucky shook his head. "How could this be okay? I fell in love with my brother's dead fiancée when I started to see her ghost. Her best friend just happens to be my ex-wife and the mother of my children. Nothing about this situation is okay. I am going completely out of my mind with just how crazy I've become."

"When your mother left us, I never thought that I would be able to love anyone else. I had never really loved anyone other than Laura," he admitted. "Sure, I had a fling here or there, but to truly love someone, I couldn't imagine it as long as I had your mother. She was the love of my life in so many ways, but losing her reminded me that she wasn't my entire life. The fact that I could live without her didn't mean that I had loved her any less. I still had you and your sister. I had Barbara Jean. I still had other people that loved me."

"Elizabeth didn't die," Lucky reminded him. "I destroyed our marriage because I was too proud to admit that I had a problem. Instead of dealing with my pain and bruised ego, I turned to drugs. I placed my addiction above my role as a husband and father. She was the love of my life, and I ruined that. You only get one chance to really fall in love."

"That's not true," his father disagreed. Luke was confident in that fact. He had gone through it himself, however unexpected it had been. "When I married Tracy, it was about a million different things, but it didn't include love. However, some time over the past few years, it's the one thing that has ultimately held our marriage together. It might not make sense to the outside world, but loving Tracy has saved me more times than I can count. We're not conventional by any definition of the word, but what we have works for us. Our love for each other is very real, and I have to believe that your mother wouldn't begrudge me that. I truly believe Laura would want me to be happy. I just can't believe that she's the one that makes me happy."

Lucky shook his head and stared vacantly at his reflection in the window. "At least Tracy is real. She's tangible; you can hold her in your hands. I'm not even entirely sure that Emily is alive. I have fallen in love with a manifestation that my mind has created. How do I explain that?"

"You don't have to explain it to anyone, Cowboy," Luke retorted. "As long as this makes you happy, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. The world is always going to judge the things that they don't understand. This certainly doesn't make sense, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's wrong. It just means that it's yours."

Tired of talking about it, Lucky simply handed his father the stack of files. "Look through these to see if there is anything that we might be able to use. I came up empty, but you know a lot more about the Cassadine history than me. We should be landing in a few hours. I'm going to try to get some sleep."

Luke watched silently as his son turned back toward the window and pulled his hood down over his eyes. His heart went out to Lucky because there was nothing anyone could do to ease his pain. Heartache like his could only be cured one way, and it would take a miraculous rescue to make that possible. However, if Emily Quartermaine was alive, he was determined to give his son this gift. They deserved to finally be able to love each other. His son's unconscious words only reaffirmed his mission.

"I'm going to save you, Em," Lucky muttered. "I'm coming for you."

* * *

Emily stretched her body lazily, surprised at how much her limbs ached. She wasn't sure exactly where she was as she slowly opened her eyes, struggling to focus on the objects around her. She didn't recognize anything, including the clothes she was wearing. It appeared that she was in some kind of hospital or clinic, but it definitely wasn't any part of General Hospital that she had ever seen. "Where am I?" she whispered to herself as she tried to sit up. However, her arms and legs felt as though she hadn't moved in months. It was surprising how much she ached to just move her hands up to her face. Finally, she managed to lean up just enough to see the doorway in front of her bed. There was a pair of doctors on the other side of the glass window, staring together over some white pages on a clipboard. She could just make out their voices, but it didn't sound like they were speaking English.

"Maybe I've been in a terrible accident," she thought. Scanning her body, she didn't see any signs of cuts or bruises. There were no scars, no evidence of a surgery. She didn't feel as though she had been ill. It didn't make sense for her to have foreign doctors looking after her when she was surrounded by one of the country's top medical teams at GH. "What the hell is going on here?"

She didn't have much time to give her question though as she was taken aback by the next voice she heard. Speaking in a clipped Greek accent, she was shocked to hear Helena come into the next room. Wishing that she had paid attention more when Nikolas had tried to teach her the language, she could only translate every third word or so. She didn't know enough to make sense of the conversation. The only words she managed to translate for sure were her own name and medication.

As Helena neared her door, Emily heard her slip back into her haughty English. Lying back, she tried to appear as peaceful as possible so that the woman would think she was still asleep. It was becoming clear that she was being held captive here, but Emily didn't understand why. She didn't remember much. In fact, the last thing she remembered other than being grabbed at Wyndamere was Lucky. She almost felt as though she had just seen him. That vision was all she had to comfort her as she feigned comatose for Helena.

"When was her last round administered?" Helena asked the doctors. "It seems to be working better than you expected. I'm pleased to see that it has not had any adverse effects on her physical condition. I'm equally happy that you've managed to keep her sedated. Soon enough, this will all be over, and you will be handsomely compensated for your inconvenience."

"We gave her the last dosage nearly three hours ago. We should be able to give her another injection within the next hour."

"Very good," Helena cooed as she sidled up to Emily's bedside. Reaching down, she pushed a chestnut ringlet from the girl's porcelain face. It was a tragedy to see such great beauty wasted on the inconvenient little orphan. It would have been much better suited for one of the grand duchesses Nikolas should have been courting when he was spending all his time with the three brats in Port Charles. It was all so terribly ordinary of him. There were many things the Cassadines were, but they were most definitely not ordinary. Normalcy was beneath them. They were destined for greatness. "Soon enough, dearest Emily, you will finally realize your true purpose."

It took all Emily had not to recoil under her icy hands. She wanted to reach up and choke the very life from the horrid woman. She had done so much to her. However, she needed to stay calm and rational until she had her strength and bearings. She was far too weak to defend herself, so any attack now would be futile.

"I will be back to check on her after the next injection," Helena informed the doctors before sashaying out of the room. Emily heard the two doctors leave the room, quietly shutting the door behind them. Alone again, she relaxed slightly against the mattress and tried to piece the puzzle together. Again and again, images of Lucky came flooding back to her. She could hear his voice in her head, feel his hand in hers. It was so real. Had he been here? Was he in her dreams? Nothing made sense.

Emily blinked a few times before closing her eyes tightly again. _I love you, Lucky_. When had she said that? She could remember saying it so clearly, like it had only happened a few minutes ago. He had replied that he loved her. The words were real, and right now, that was her only comfort.

* * *

_This update is dedicated to jeffandjimmieschick. I'm only sorry that it took me so long to do, but I was away on assignment actually doing writing that pays the bills. I promise to try to make these as frequent as I possibly can. _


	10. Chapter 10

Hours later, Lucky gladly welcomed the warm Grecian breeze blowing across the ocean as stepped off the plane. The fresh air caressed his cheek like a long lost friend after hours of being holed up in the stale cabin of the airliner. Following his father through the various customs and security checkpoints, his mind was already reeling from the mission ahead. He barely paid attention as an agent scanned his passport and waved him through the line. The only thing he could focus on was the pristine image of Emily the night of the Black and White Ball, smiling gloriously as she showed off her sparkling engagement ring to a room full of admirers. Six months had passed, but time had not been able to tarnish such a breathtaking picture.

"We should have a car waiting for us," Lucky muttered as he shuffled behind Luke and into the chaos of the open terminal. Slinging the black tote bag over his shoulder, he patted the small handgun tucked into the interior pocket. A simple wave of a police badge back in New York had ensured that he would be able to carry the weapon from port to port. For once, his father had waxed poetic on the benefits of his son's law enforcement ranking as it gave them allowances that would have otherwise been prohibited. "Nikolas' assistant also booked us a room at a hotel just a few miles from the house where we think Helena is staying.

While under ordinary circumstances Luke would be looking forward to a luxurious Greece vacation with the lushest accommodations Europe could provide, he was anxious to start the chase. He loved the adrenaline rush of chasing the so-called bad guys across the globe. To many people, he was one of those bad guys, but when it came to the Cassadine empire, he had always been fighting for the greater good. This time, that greater good was an angelic brunette doctor that just happened to be his son's best friend and perhaps even the love of his young life.

"We're going to find her, Lucky," Luke assured his son quietly. Lucky was silent as he hailed a cab. Luke waited until they had deposited their bags in the trunk before he addressed him any further. He knew that Lucky was in a headspace so deep that it would be nearly impossible to consider reason. The only thing he could see or hear was the danger that Emily was facing. It was up to Luke to finally be the voice of experience that both his children had sought for so long. He couldn't save Laura from falling away, but he would give his life to make sure that it wasn't repeated on his children or the people that they loved. "Let's skip the hotel and get there immediately."

"How exactly are you going to manage to get inside her compound, Dad? It's not like you can just walk up and knock on the door. Most of the people that work for Helena have either dealt with you in the past or have been warned extensively of your existence," Lucky pointed out. "We only get one chance to pull this off. I want to think out each and every detail completely."

Scrubbing his hands over his face, Luke took a deep breath and exhaled it with a long sigh. "I'm going to do what I do best and go into disguise. My sources tell me that Helena keeps a team of German doctors on her staff to handle any and all medical needs. It's likely that the doctors have had at least some interaction with Emily."

Lucky had witnessed his father's routine more than once, always astounded that it seemed to work each and every time. Adopting the German physician disguise was one of his favorites and had worked when it came to protecting his mother a few years ago. "That could work up until the point you actually run into Helena. There is no way she is going to buy the act."

"We just have to make sure that we can get to Emily before Helena gets to us," Luke replied. He knew that it was a long shot, but it was really the only option he could come up with that was at all plausible. "Even if I don't actually get to Emily, I will be enough of a distraction that you will be able to find another way in."

"Actually, I already thought of that," he told his father. Reaching into his messenger bag, he pulled out a set of blue prints Nikolas had given him at the last minute. "These are the last renderings Nikolas could find of the house. It includes a complete plan of the ventilation system. I'm thinking that I can probably get in there through the vents as long as we can figure out where Emily is being held."

Luke took the large map from his son and looked at the drawings. Tracing his finger of the complex network of pipes, he settled upon a spacious interior room. It was the only room that seemed to be secluded from the outside world but completely accessible to those on the inside of the house. "She has to be keeping Emily here. This room connects to a back staircase from the master suite upstairs. Helena would be able to come and go as she pleases while still giving everyone else entrance into the room. It'd be the perfect location."

Over the next few minutes, Lucky quickly mapped a route from an outside grate to the room and back. He calculated that it would take him roughly five minutes to find Emily. If she was conscious, they could escape in equal time. If not, he would have to improvise when he got there. "This is the only way that this is going to work," Lucky decided aloud as the cab pulled up to a vacant building. A black sedan was waiting along with a uniformed driver. "Looks like Nikolas was really thinking ahead."

"For someone who didn't want to get involved, he sure has put a lot into this," Luke noticed as he slipped from the yellow cab. Lucky had noticed as well but elected not to comment. The truth was that he didn't really know what he was getting his heart into. Nikolas still didn't believe that Emily could be alive when he left Port Charles, but from what he had done for them since arriving in Greece, it was clear that he still at least the slightest sliver of hope. Luke made it to the driver first, snatching the keys and spinning them around his ring finger lazily. "Thanks, Jeeves."

The drive to the Cassadine compound was short but quiet. Just a few miles from the home, Luke pulled off onto the edge of the road and headed into the woods to change clothes. When he returned, he looked every part the German doctor. From the tweed cap sitting upon his mussed white hair to the round spectacles resting on the tip of his nose, he appeared both aristocratic and slightly crazy. For his part, Lucky had exchanged his white button-up shirt and light denim carpenter pants for a pair of faded dark denim jeans and a tight black tee. He knew that Helena's guards uniformly dressed in dark colors. Once they were back in the car and on their way closer to the compound, Lucky tried to only focus on why he was there and not all the things that could go wrong along the way.

Upon arrival, Lucky climbed out of the car just inside the gate while Luke proceeded toward the front door to announce his arrival. Hiding behind a shrub, Lucky watched as his father tossed the car keys to a waiting valet. Within a few seconds, he had disappeared inside the house, indicating that at least one person on the staff had bought the scheme. Scanning the grounds, he made a dash for the exterior grate he had pinpointed earlier. He slowed his run to a steady walk when a groundskeeper passed him. Offering only a curt nod, Lucky exhaled gratefully when the gardener headed in the opposite direction. Sure that he was finally alone, Lucky popped off the metal face plate and lifted himself into the vent. Pulling the cover back over the opening, he crawled out of sight and turned into a dead-end corner so that he could gather his bearings.

Crawling along the dingy metal floor of the complex ventilation system, Lucky listened carefully as he passed over each room. When he came across the loud, angry buzz of a food processor, he knew that he was on the right track. He should pass over the kitchen just before turning toward the place where they believed Emily was being held. A fork in the makeshift road was just ahead. Choosing the path to his right, Lucky glanced down at the formal dining room and then over the staircase. Climbing up toward the next level of the house proved difficult but not impossible for the physically fit detective. Certain that he was just a few feet from his final destination, Lucky took another break to listen for his father.

A few moments passed before Lucky was able to pick up his father's stunted faux German accent. He was speaking with an older man in a white coat as they made their way up the staircase just below Lucky's feet. Luke seemed to be fairing well as he asked question after question about the "young girl" as he repeatedly called her. His father was doing a good job of not letting on to his close relationship with the patient. One false move could endanger both of them, and Lucky would likely be forced to pick which to save first. His father and the man soon disappeared out of sight, assumingly to enter into Emily's room. Pushing forward, Lucky was now more determined than ever to find his best friend.

Scampering over the final few feet of vents, immediate relief washed over his exhausted body as he finally spotted her below. Sleeping angelically in a hospital bed, she was thinner than he remembered but seemed to be in good shape. "Emily." He whispered her name like a prayer, hoping for a miracle. If she could just hear his voice, he was sure that she would awaken. He watched her for a minute, simply waiting for her big brown eyes to flutter open. So many times, she had met his clear blue gaze from across a room, holding intently to him as if she sensed that he had been watching her. Why couldn't this be one of those times?

His father stopped and looked over at the bed upon entering the room. His eyes widened briefly before adjusting back. It was the slightest movement, likely undetectable to anyone who didn't know Luke Spencer extremely well. Of that small number of people, Lucky had both the fortunate and unfortunate burden of being the person that knew him best. His father was slightly shocked at Emily's state but quickly snapped back to attention and into action.

"If you would leave me for a few minutes, I would like some quiet to look over the patient's charts," Luke requested with a rough accent. Lucky rolled his eyes at his blatant flamboyance.

The other doctor – the real doctor – nodded hesitantly. "You can look at whatever is available down here, but Ms. Cassadine keeps most of the charts upstairs in her private office. I'm sure that you would like to speak with her during your visit. I could just call up…"

"No, that's quite alright," Luke protested. "These records will work for now, and if I need more, I can just ask you then. I was told not to bother Ms. Cassadine."

"That's strange, she usually likes to meet with the doctors immediately. I have worked for her for years. I'm surprised that I have never been called upon to work with you in the past. I have consulted with most of her medical staff at one point or another."

"I am a specialist that Ms. Cassadine called to work on the case," Luke falsely explained. "I specialize in cases just like this patient."

The two men spoke for a few more minutes until the doctor convinced Luke to come into the office to look over the charts. Apparently, there were some irregularities on the computerized records that he hoped Luke would be able to help with. The brief disappearance gave Lucky just enough time to pop down from the ceiling. Sliding the tile away, he fell to the ground with a soft thud just beside Emily's bed. He stood up slowly, careful not to make any noise, and hovered over her body. "Oh, Em, what has she done to you?"

"Well, well, well," he heard unexpectedly as he whirled around. "Lucky Spencer."


	11. Chapter 11

Time seemed to stand still in those few precious moments before Lucky turned around and met his destiny head on. In one second, all that he had fought for could be swept away from him with little mercy. He was the only thing that stood between Emily and whatever was about to happen to him. Just as he had put himself between her and a snake fifteen years ago, he was more than willing to put his life on the line to give her one last shot. He had come this far, and that journey just didn't mean his short trek from Port Charles across the Atlantic Ocean to stand there in this moment. It had started the very first time he had ever laid eyes on the tiny brunette at the Quartermaine mansion. Everything in his life had led him here.

"Dad, you scared the hell out of me," Lucky hissed as he stared at his father. Luke shrugged his shoulders helplessly as he held up the clipboard full of charts. He should have recognized his father's faux accent, but he had been so wrapped up in Emily's state that he hadn't been able to focus on anything else.

Luke was about to encourage his son to hurry when a sudden movement caught him out of the corner of his eye. Lucky had turned around to address his father, turning his back on Emily. What he had failed to see was the brunette slowly beginning to regain consciousness. Without saying anything, Luke could only point to Emily's bed.

"Lucky?" her hoarse greeting came as her almond brown eyes fluttered open. Lucky flew back to her side immediately, falling on his knees at her bedside. Burying his face in the crook of her arm, he silently thanked God for bringing her back to him. Her hand was weak as she reached down to ruffle his dark hair. "I knew you would come."

Peering up at her with glassy eyes, Lucky smiled. "I couldn't do this without you," he told her before standing up. He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead. She reached up and caught his hand. "We have to hurry and get you out of here."

"I'm so weak," she said worriedly. She hadn't had any mobility over the past several months while Helena had held her captive. The last thing she was up for was a long escape that likely included crawling through the ceiling, if the missing tile was any indication. "The medication has pretty well worn off, but I don't know if I can make it."

"You just do your best, Princess, and we'll get you the rest of the way there," Luke promised as he reached across his son to pat her arm comfortingly. "And as much as I hate to break up this sweet little reunion, we don't have a lot of time. Cowboy, you're going to have to get yourself back up into the ceiling before they get back."

"I'm not leaving here without Emily," he told his father defiantly. Emily's eyes darted between father and son. "I didn't come this far to leave her behind."

Luke shook his head at his son's stubbornness. He was so much like his mother at times that he could forget just how much Lucky was his father's son. "Of course you're not," he agreed. "You are going to get up there so that you can help Emily."

The next minute was spent helping Emily from the bed. Her legs were shaking terribly but she managed to stand on her own with some support from the nearby wall. Lucky easily hoisted himself back into the vent and then crawled a few feet to give Emily plenty of room. Luke moved a chair back beneath the missing tile and took Emily's hand to help her atop it. Her fragile frame quivered feverishly as Luke gently lifted her and Lucky reached out to grab her. It took quite some maneuvering, but they managed to make it work. Before too long, Emily was just behind Lucky in the vent.

Looking around the room, Luke scanned the row of pills to find enough medication to keep Emily coherent until they could get her to a hospital. He recognized a few names from the charts and pocketed the plastic orange bottles. Then, grabbing her charts, he tossed them ahead of him in the vent before lifting himself into the opening. Sliding the tile back over the hole, he couldn't help but grin to himself at another caper well done.

"We're still not free yet," Lucky told his father knowingly as he crawled ahead. Emily was slow but steady as she followed him close behind. They would stop from time to time to give her a moment to breathe. She tired easily but pure adrenaline kept her pressing on even when her body felt like it was about to give out. As they rounded the last corner, Lucky looked out into the yard. "There is a guard passing by. We'll have to wait a few minutes."

"I recognize him," Emily whispered. "He's the guy who always escorts the doctors in before they come to see me for my afternoon medication."

"Just how long have you been conscious, Princess?" Luke asked Emily.

Closing her eyes, Emily tried to calculate how long she had been aware of what was going on. In some ways, it felt like forever; it some ways it felt like just a few moments ago. "Not long really, I don't think," she answered. "Honestly, things are still a little blurry. Helena has no idea that the sedatives quit working. She thinks that they increased the dosage, but they didn't do much. They were afraid that it would kill me."

"Thank God for that," Lucky muttered as he looked over his shoulder at his best friend. Her face was ashen and hollow. It looked like she had lost a lot of weight since the night of the ball. There were so many things that were different, but there was one thing that was still the same. Just below the surface of her beautiful brown eyes, he could see the same fire was still burning. She still had that spark about her. "You did good, Em."

She nodded silently before glancing past his shoulder. "It looks like the coast is clear," she pointed. Lucky looked back to the yard and grinned. Popping out the grate, he hopped down from the vent, falling two stories onto the soft grass. Luke made his way past Emily to let himself down. Then, together, they helped Emily land safely. "I don't think I can make it that far."

"My car is just around here in the back lot," Luke told them. "You two head out of the gate and meet me down the road. Stay out of view just in case I get caught. Don't you come back for me, Cowboy. You have to get her out of here."

Lucky nodded to indicate that he understood. Under ordinary circumstances, there was no way he would ever consider leaving his father, but this was about Emily's life. They were both acknowledging that she was the most important thing here. "Be careful," he told him before grabbing Emily's hand. "Do you think you can run just across the clearing?"

She looked anxiously at the wide gap that separated the safety of the house to the dense forest just across the way. It was just a hundred yards at most, but it seemed like miles. "Let's try it," she mustered before squeezing his hand tighter. Luke watched as the young woman took one courageous deep breath before sprinting after his son and into the safety of the grass.

"We made it," Lucky told her softly, reaching around to hug her. She was fighting to catch her breath. "You don't have to go any further. I can carry you now that we're hidden."

"I'm too heavy," she protested, doubling over with cramps. She couldn't believe how out of shape she was. "Man, it's going to take some serious hours in the gym to get me back up to par. I don't think I will be running a marathon any time soon."

"Are you kidding me?" he smiled. "Do you know what you just did, Em? You're a rock star in my book."

Emily blushed a faint crimson under his watchful gaze. He had always been able to see the best in her, even when she wasn't so sure that it was there. It was nice to know that she hadn't lost her biggest fan. "I'm going to let you save me this one time, but I don't want to hear about it for the rest of our lives," she teased as he lifted her onto his back. Wrapping her weak legs around his torso, Emily rested her head against his shoulder as he padded through the grass. "If it were the other way around, you can be damn sure I would be carrying you piggyback to safety."

Lucky scanned the path ahead of them and noticed the wrought iron gate he had left his father at earlier. "We're almost there," he declared as he lifted her higher on his back. "And as for this whole saving you bit, this is just as much for me as it is for you, so don't go thinking you're special or anything, Quartermaine. I'm really not too good at doing this whole living thing without my best friend."

"Oh, really?" she asked, her voice breathy. She still wasn't used to talking after so many weeks of silence. It almost hurt to articulate the words, but Lucky was worth all the pain. As they crossed a narrow gravel path to a tall, overgrown shrub, she couldn't believe how close she was to going home. "Are we there?"

"Yep," he retorted, kneeling down so that she could crawl off. Just as her feet hit the ground, Luke came barreling up the driveway in a cloud of dust. Lucky barely had time to think before shoving Emily in the backseat and crawling in after her. No one said anything until they were off the compound grounds and back on the main highway. Only then did Lucky dare look over at her. She was staring out the window vacantly, tears rolling down her face. He slid over the seat next to her, wrapping his arm firmly around her. "Hey, what's wrong?"

She looked up at him through the tears, sniffling like a small child. "I'm free," she whispered as he pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm finally free."

Luke was quick in getting them back to the airport. Emily refused to go to a local hospital out of fear that someone would know about her case or the doctors. They had considered going to the hotel, but the last thing any of them wanted to risk was being spotted. Helena likely had influence all over the small community and had already put out an APB on her missing captive.

"Now this I recognize," Emily smiled as she looked up at the familiar jet. Lucky had his arm around her waist as they headed onto the private tarmac. They hadn't spoken of her fiancée and his brother yet, but she knew where the plane had come from. Lucky was surprised when she didn't ask any questions. Instead, she snuggled her head into his shoulder as they boarded the plane. "We're going home."

"Yes, we are," Lucky agreed as he sat in the seat next to her. Luke had stretched out on a few seats in the back, asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Lucky had tried to get her to sleep, too, but Emily had refused. She had been asleep for weeks, and now that she was awake, she didn't want to miss a minute. "You're probably pretty excited to go home. I know that your family is going to be thrilled. Elizabeth will, too. No one has any idea. I'm sure that you can't wait to see Nikolas."

A darkness passed over Emily's face. "I hadn't really thought about anyone else," she realized aloud.

"Well, it's only natural, he is your fiancé," he sighed.

"Actually, I meant that I hadn't thought about anyone other than you," she whispered. Lucky looked over at her. There was no way she could know that she had brought him here. She couldn't remember. That hadn't been real. "I dreamt a lot about you. I feel like I came to see you. It was like I just couldn't stay away from you, Spencer."

There were so many things he wanted to say, questions he wanted to ask. He wanted to know if she was feeling what he was feeling. He wanted to know what happened from there. He wanted to know if they had a future together. He wanted to know if she had loved him as much as he loved her. Instead, he just smiled at her and murmured, "I missed you so much, Em."


	12. Chapter 12

The journey back to Port Charles was a long one. Emily slept for most of the flight, curled up peacefully in the crook of Lucky's arm. Luke sat away from them, pretending to read a travel magazine while carefully watching his only son care for his best friend. His heart went out to Lucky. A long road of recovery lay ahead for both of them. The young man had no clue what he was getting himself into, how difficult it would be to help Emily readjust after the hell Helena had put her through. It was a very daunting thing to have happen to you – to be resurrected after everyone believed you were dead for months. The undue pressure would be a strain on both of them, but if anyone could handle it, Luke knew that his son could.

Turning back to look out the dark clouds outside the window, Luke thought about the struggle Lucky had been through after he had come back from the dead. It was like seeing a ghost the first time he reappeared, completely changed after the months of torture Helena and Faison had put him through. Emily had been one of the first people he had gone to see, and Luke knew that she was the first person Lucky felt normal with again. He could only hope that his son would provide that same sort of comfort as the beautiful Quartermaine heiress tried to figure out her next step.

From his seat, Lucky was trying to adjust his body to be comfortable without waking Emily. She hadn't said more than a handful of words since they had boarded the plane. He knew that she was weak and fragile, so he constantly worried that the smallest thing would completely break her. The vulnerability brimmed in her chocolate brown eyes, and he wanted more than anything to be able to set her at ease. However, it wasn't that easy. Nothing about this situation was that easy. The life that awaited them back in Port Charles would be a whirlwind of soul-shattering emotions that he wasn't ready to deal with; however, the moment they stepped off the plane nothing would ever be the same again.

"How far are we away from New York?" came her soft voice, breaking him out of his thoughts. He peered down at her. She looked younger and smaller than she had to him in a very long time. In fact, in that moment, Emily very much resembled the young girl who had overdosed on drugs and sought out his support in the darkest days of her life. He had hoped that he would never see her like that again. "I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to do when I get home. Should I go see my mom first?"

Lucky hadn't really taken the time to fill Emily in on all that she had missed since she had disappeared. She had no clue that Michael was comatose, that Jason had taken over the business, that her mother had nearly killed Sam as a result of drunk driving, that Nikolas had almost died of a brain tumor. It was going to take many conversations in small increments for her to learn the life that had gone without her. Too much too fast could be detrimental. "You should probably take the night to rest, Em," he suggested. "No one knows that we were going other than my dad and Nikolas. He doesn't know that we're coming back. Why don't you get some rest and we can figure it out in the morning?"

Nodding quietly, she rested her head back against his thick bicep. He reached down for her hand and curled his fingers around hers. "I know that this isn't easy on you either. I keep trying to find the words to tell you how much I appreciate this. You risked so much to look for me just because I came to you in a dream or whatever," she told him. "There are so many things in my life I wouldn't have made it through without you. The overdose, thinking Nikolas had died, the rape…this is just one more time you managed to save me. You truly are the best friend I have ever had, Spencer."

"You save me," he countered. "Every time I feel like I am about to spin out of control again, you're the first one there to encourage me to go to a meeting, to spend time with the boys, to just take a deep breath and think. I haven't done anything that you wouldn't do for me. Don't thank me, just promise me that you'll always be there to love me."

"I've always been there loving you," she smiled. They both knew that the words resonated on several levels, from the simple affection of two adolescents playing with their dogs in an oversize mansion to the deep respect of two grown adults who've been through hell together. "So, tell me something that I have missed out on. Nothing stays the same in Port Charles for very long."

Lucky scanned his brain for smaller pieces of news. If he could break her in slowly, she just might be strong enough to handle the big stuff all at once. Part of him knew that he was discounting her strength, but he just wanted to protect her. "Well, Robin is pregnant," he offered. "Patrick Drake is the father. She seems pretty happy about it. I can't believe it was only a few months ago that she was asking me to be a sperm donor."

Emily clapped her hands happily at the new of her friend's fortunate blessing. "That's so great!" she exclaimed. "She asked Nikolas too, you know, but I know how much she wanted the baby to be Patrick's. Are they back together?"

"Well, I don't really know the specifics except for what Elizabeth told me," he answered. "I guess they slept together the night of Georgie's funeral."

"Georgie's funeral? Wait, you mean Georgie died? When? How?" Her questions came like a rush, washing over Lucky all at once. He had forgotten that the murder had happened after Emily was "killed" the night of the Black & White Ball. "Lucky, tell me what happened."

He squeezed her hand tightly. "Georgie was a victim of the Text Message Killer. It was supposed to be Maxie, but she showed up instead," he told her. "Spinelli was actually the one to find her, and I was so angry that I wanted to blame him. So did Mac, we all did. She looked so broken there on the steps at the park, lifeless like a rag doll. I still can't escape the image in my mind."

Emily could tell that he was haunted by the memory. She could only imagine what it had been like for everyone to see her in such a similar state. Sure, it hadn't been her actual body, but they had all believed that it was. She wanted to ask him about it, but it was too soon. She was just digesting the fact that Port Charles' had lost one of its youngest and brightest innovators, a young woman sure to change lives. "Who was the killer?"

"Believe it or not, it was Diego Alcazar," he retorted. "His father saved him and kept him alive in South America for months. After Jason killed Alcazar, he vowed to exact revenge on everyone that had hurt his family. He went after you at first as a way to get back at Jason. He wanted to get rid of Maxie because she had hurt him. When Georgie showed up instead, he took it as a sign that he should avenge Sage's death."

"Is he in jail?"

"Actually, Nikolas killed him," he admitted. The story was long and twisted, so convoluted by weeks of terror for the men and women of his fair city. "It was in your honor, I guess. He also had kidnapped Nadine. Not long before that, he nearly killed Elizabeth and Sam. Jason and I showed up to rescue them. It was a nightmare."

Shivering visibly, Emily tried to imagine what life had been like for Lucky. "You really are a Spencer. You survive everything with your nine lives," she declared. "I still can't believe Georgie's gone. Who else did he get?"

"Coop was the last victim," Lucky replied. His voice dropped at the thought of his former partner. It was the second that Lucky had lost in the past few years because of the violence surrounding the mob world. "He tried to make it look like a suicide when Coop started to piece the puzzle together. Diego even made it look like he was responsible for the whole thing. I was so quick to blame him because I just wanted this to be over. I wanted to have someone to blame for your death. Thankfully, Maxie wouldn't accept it and people kept working on it. Otherwise, Diego might have been able to kill more women."

Covering her mouth, Emily tried to imagine what it had been like for Maxie, losing her sister and love at the hands of one man in such a short span of time. "Poor Maxie," she breathed.

"It's been rough on her," he acknowledged. "But you know Maxie, she's tough, at least on the outside. She's actually working for Kate Howard with Lulu and has become really good friends with Spinelli. I don't see her much, but she seems to be handling things on her own."

"And what about Elizabeth? How is she?" she asked. Emily still didn't know if Lucky knew the truth. She had never fully told her best friend that she knew of Jason's true paternity. "How are the boys?"

Without missing a beat, Lucky knew that she knew. "It's okay, Em, I know," he told her. "We agreed to do what is best to keep Jake safe. I'm still acting as their father. Elizabeth and I have come to some kind of an understanding when it comes to the boys. She lets me spend time with them, and I really do love them like they're my own. I hate what Elizabeth did to me, but in the end, I will always love her more than I could ever hate her. I just wish that she could stay away from your brother to keep our sons safe."

After experiencing the dark side of the mob firsthand, she could fully understand where Lucky was coming from. She loved her brother more than life itself, but the boys' safety was more important. "I'm sorry that you have had to go through this."

"Are you kidding me?" he laughed humorlessly. "Compared to what you've been through, this is a cakewalk, Em. It might not be an ideal situation, but it's the hand that life dealt me. Things could be so much worse, and they were for a very long time. I had such a hard time after I lost you, but then you started to come to see me. For the first time I felt like I could breathe again. Having you there with me made me feel complete. And now you're here with me, and I can't imagine anything better than this. Being able to hold you like this..."

There were no words to describe the utter look of loving Lucky had on his face. Emily felt so incredibly blessed to know that such a wonderful man loved her so unconditionally, so selflessly. "Well, now that I've heard about some other people, why don't you tell me something about you? What's been going on in your life?" she asked. He hesitated for a moment, causing her to smile. "Don't worry, I know there's still a lot you're not telling me. We'll get there."

Shrugging coyly, he turned slightly to look at her better. "Honestly, I haven't been up to much since you reappeared other than trying to figure it out. Saving you has been the driving force of everything, getting me through the long hours at the station and long nights alone."

"Was I very good company?"

"You know that I've always loved being around you," Lucky answered. "It didn't make any sense to me, but at some point I quit caring. I was just happy that you were there with me. It drudged up all these things that I've pretended not to feel, but I was just glad that I was feeling anything again. I'd built up this wall around me, so certain that I needed to protect myself from getting hurt. Having you there completely broke down those barricades."

She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed happily. "You've never been able to hide yourself from me," she pointed out. "I'm happy that hasn't changed." He chuckled and nodded in agreement. "I'm also glad something else hasn't changed."

"What's that?"

"Your feelings," she smiled. "You fell in love with me again."

"No, I didn't," he protested. She turned to him suddenly, her face falling in disappointment. He bit his bottom lip to keep from laughing as she crossed her arms over body protectively. Just as she was about say something else, he stopped her with a soulful kiss. Capturing her lips wholly with his, he turned his head slightly to deepen to moment. She moaned involuntarily against his mouth as her fingers found their way to the soft hairs at the nape of his neck. Finally, when they were both gasping for air, he pulled away to look into her eyes. It seemed to be something he was doing a lot since take off, searching her eyes. She smiled under his watchful gaze and pressed her forehead to his. "I couldn't haven fallen in love with you all over again because I never stopped."


	13. Chapter 13

Somewhere between the docks and the Spencer cottage, Emily allowed herself to finally succumb to sleep again. Lucky had left his father at the airport, hugging him long and hard in silent thanks for what he had done for them both. Luke promised to come by and visit once she was feeling more rested and they had both had the chance to really talk about what had happened. Months of trauma were bound to a number on even the strongest person, and Luke respected Emily's need to heal. He could only hope that their fellow Quartermaine family would give her the same chance.

By the time the yellow cab pulled up in front of his house, Lucky was feeling the onset of exhaustion beginning to sweep through his tired body as well. He had been up for nearly two days, and he knew that it was inevitable that he would crash. Once Emily was safely in bed, he would finally allow himself the chance to relax. There was a lot that he still needed to deal with, too. Until then, his primary focus was on taking care of her and making the return home as seamless as possible.

"Thanks," Lucky told the driver as he handed him a handful of bills. The man nodded politely before heading toward the front door with their few pieces of luggage. Lucky stayed behind to try to wake Emily. When his feeble attempts were unsuccessful, he easily lifted her into his arms and carried her up the front walk. Nudging the front door open with his hip, he maneuvered them both into the darkened living room toward the couch. Emily didn't even flinch as he lay her down on the sofa. Sitting on the edge of the coffee table, he reached behind her and pulled the knitted blanket over her body. Only when he trailed his fingers down the gentle slope of her cheek did she react at all. A small sigh escaped past her slightly parted lips as her dark brown eyes fluttered open. "I'm sorry; I didn't want to wake you."

A small smile played across her lips as he tucked a chestnut ringlet behind her ear. "It's okay, I'm glad that you did," she assured him. His fingers trailed along the curve of her neck, over her shoulder and down the path of her arm until they found their way to her hand. "You didn't have to carry me inside. You could have woken me up."

"I tried, but you just didn't want to see to wake up," he teased her lightly. She bit her bottom lip and shrugged coyly. "When you are feeling up to it, I can help you upstairs to get settled in my room. You need to get a good night sleep, and I will be just fine down here on the couch."

"You're not going to leave me, are you?" she asked timidly, her strong reverie showing the first sign of fragility in quite some time. The thought of being alone again shook Emily to her very core. As long as Lucky was there, she knew that she would be safe. However, just a moment alone would give Helena all the chance she needed to kidnap her again. "Please, Lucky, I don't want to sleep alone. Will you stay with me just for tonight? I promise I won't take all the blankets."

Kneeling down on the couch in front of her, he couldn't help but press a comforting kiss to her soft forehead. "You take all the covers you need, Em," he retorted. "You know that I would give you anything that you need. Whatever you want, you just tell me. I just want you to feel safe."

"I do," she promised as she reached for his hand again. "As long as you're with me, I know that you will keep me safe. You are my personal guardian angel, after all. You've never let me down, and I don't intend to let you start now."

"Well, then I better get you upstairs and to bed. You look like you could fall asleep again on me any second," he declared. She didn't protest as he lifted her again, her legs splayed over his arm as they made their way upstairs. Emily tucked her head into the crook of his neck and yawned deeply. Lucky only held her tighter as he came into his bedroom. He padded across the floor to the bed and gently deposited her in the center of the mattress. "I don't really have any pajamas, but I can get you a pair of my clean boxers and a tee shirt."

"Thanks, that would be perfect," she told him. Lucky searched through the top drawer of his bureau and successfully retrieved a navy blue tank top and plaid boxers. "Can I get some of your socks too? My feet are cold."

"Your feet are always cold," he remembered as he tossed her a pair of bright white socks. She pulled them over her bare feet and looked at him expectantly. "Right, well, I'll just give you a few minutes to change. Is there anything you want me to do for you in the mean time?"

Emily started to shake her head but quickly changed her mind. "Actually, there is someone that I want you to call," she decided. "I know that you might not like what I am about to ask you, but I really want him to know that I'm home." Lucky expected Emily to ask him to call Elizabeth or Nikolas to tell them the news. He felt slightly selfish that he didn't want to share her with anyone yet. He had to remind himself that he wasn't the only one who had missed her. "I need you to call my brother for me to let him know that I'm here. He's the first person that I want to see tomorrow. Tell him not to come tonight. I will call him first thing."

"Whatever you need," he nodded, brushing a kiss over the crown of her head. "I'll just be out in the hall if you need me." He knew that Emily wanted her privacy to change but that she didn't want him to go too far. Grabbing his cell phone on the way out, he shut the door and hoped that the phone call would go smoothly as possible. The phone rang a few times before Jason answered it with a simple, curt announcement of his last name. "This is Lucky Spencer."

"What's wrong?" Jason asked immediately. He knew that Lucky wouldn't be calling him unless he absolutely had to. "Is Jake okay? What about Elizabeth?"

"They're both fine as far as I know," he answered. The truth was that he hadn't talked to Elizabeth since before he left for Greece. He made a note to call her and check on the boys. Part of him dreaded talking to her because he didn't want to have to lie by omission about Emily. "Actually, I'm calling about Emily."

"Em-mily?" Jason stuttered, clearly confused at the sound of his baby sister's name. "What could you possibly have to tell me about Em at 2 a.m., Lucky?"

"She's here with me." Lucky took the stunned silence as a signal to go on. "Helena had her in Greece. It's a long story that I am sure she will want to tell you herself tomorrow morning. She asked me to call you and let you know that she is okay. My father and I brought her back to Port Charles tonight. She's a little shaken, but she's hanging in there. She wanted me to tell you that she will call you tomorrow to arrange a visit. In the mean time, please don't tell anyone that she's here. She needs to readjust to this slowly on her terms. There's still a lot she doesn't know."

Jason was shocked as he listened to Lucky tell him this unbelievable story about a sister he thought died six months again. "How did you know to look for her?"

"My heart told me," he answered simply. He knew that it wasn't much of an explanation but it was the only one that he had. Emily had once told Lucky that Jason had known that Michael was still alive when A.J. kidnapped him a few years ago. Both he and Carly had believed in the slim odds that their first son had survived. He hoped that Jason would be able to understand then how Lucky could know that Emily wasn't dead either. "I really need to get back to check on her. She will call you in the morning."

"Thank you," Jason said as he hung up the phone. "Tell Em that I love her."

Lucky promised that he would before ending the call. Under different circumstances, he could have been friends with Jason Morgan. They were fortunate to love the same people – from Emily and Elizabeth to Carly and Lulu. They were apart of the same makeshift family that made little sense to the outside world. However, life had dealt them its own hand, and they were on different sides of nearly everything. Shrugging to himself, he pushed it out of his mind and let himself back into his room. Emily was on top of the mattress, her long legs splayed across the covers. She looked so small but undeniably sexy in his clothes.

"Jason loves you."

"I know," she smiled. She really did know how incredibly much she was loved by the people in her life. Scooting over in the bed, she patted the mattress beside her. "Come lay down. You must be exhausted, too." Nodding as he pealed off his shirt and kicked off his shoes, he collapsed on the bed beside her. Emily crawled under the blankets and turned on her side to face him. She reached out and cupped his chiseled cheek in her palm and caressed it softly. "Tell me something else that I missed. I know that there is a lot, but I'm ready for more."

Closing his eyes tightly, Lucky settled on an image of Nikolas. "Nikolas finally had the surgery on his tumor a month ago," he revealed. "For a long time after you died, he didn't want to go on. He didn't think that life without you was worth living really until Nadine came along. She spent a long time with him, constantly reminding him how he had Spencer and the rest of us to live for. She was the only one who could convince him to go through with the treatment, and when he finally did have it, it was a complete success. He is healing perfectly."

Emily sighed with relief. One of the many things she had worried about when she was held captive was Nikolas' health. She knew that he was stubborn and that he would do anything he could to avoid the surgery to remove the tumor. "I'm glad that he had someone to take care of him," she replied. "I will have to thank her. I know she was around the hospital, but I never really got to know her.

"You'll like her. She's been very good for him," Lucky admitted. "She actually reminds me of you somewhat only with blonde hair and big doe eyes. She comes from a crazy family too, and she has this incredibly kind and compassionate soul. She just wants to take care of everyone and make the world a better place. I think you two could actually be friends."

She'd spent very little time with Nadine save for a night out once at Jake's. The nurse had always been kind and concise whenever Emily had been around her. "Are they, you know, more than friends?"

Darkness washed over Lucky's icy blue eyes. Of course, he reminded himself, she still loves him. She would want to know if he had moved on. "They're just getting to know each other," he told her truthfully. "She has spent some time with Spencer riding, and I think that she helped Nikolas set up a train set. I don't really know what is going on between them, but I know that they do care for each other."

"That's good, I'm glad," she smiled. "Nikolas deserves to be happy."

"He will be very happy when he sees you again," Lucky said, a slight tinge of sadness creeping into his voice. He didn't want to be jealous, but he was. "I'm sure that you will both be very happy to be reunited again."

"Well, sure, I can't wait to see Nikolas, but I can't wait to see a lot of people," she shrugged. "Lucky, things aren't the same as they were before. They couldn't be. I was changed by this. I just can't go back to the person I was. That girl was happy, very happy, but she's gone. I'm different now. Don't think that I've forgotten the things that you told me. I came to you. My soul, my spirit, my whatever it was – it chose you to bring me back. It chose you to save me."

He allowed her to envelope him in her arms. He just wanted to feel connected to her. "I just don't want to lose you now that I've finally gotten you back," he confessed almost inaudibly. "I don't want to lose my chance to have you fall in love with me."

"You won't," she promised before lunging forward. She needed to kiss him then, to have him swallow her fears and reassure her with his touch. He must have sensed that need as he quickly swept her even closer to him and kissed her very breath from her lips. When they finally pulled apart, she turned over so that her back was to him but her body was still pressed against his. He wrapped his arm around her waist and let his hand rest comfortably on her hip so that they lay like spoons.

A comfortable silence settled between them, and soon enough, Emily felt herself starting to drift off again. Just as she fell asleep, she heard him whisper three little words she had long wanted to hear, "Welcome home, Em."


	14. Chapter 14

Lucky woke up early to take a long run, needing a few minutes to himself to contemplate the whirlwind of activity that had taken over his life in the past several weeks. In such a short time, everything in his life had become about Emily. Now that he was beginning to come down from the adrenaline high of the rescue, he was looking forward to settling back into a new routine that included his best friend and hopefully the woman he would get to spend the rest of his life with. There were several conversations to be had with her as well as the other people in their lives – Nikolas, Elizabeth, the boys. It was a lot to take on all at once, but it didn't scare him. He felt confident that he would be able to handle anything that came his way as long as he knew he had Em back in his life.

Rounding the last corner before his house, he stopped and jogged in place to answer his vibrating cell phone. "Hey," he smiled to himself when he saw his home phone number flash on the screen. He'd left it scrawled on a piece of paper on his pillow before he left. "I'm just up the block. I should be home in a minute."

Emily sighed with relief when she heard his voice. Even if it was only for a few minutes, she still found it very difficult to be alone. "Good, I wanted to have breakfast with you before Jason came over. Are you okay with him coming by here to see me? I guess I could go over to the penthouse if you don't want him in the house."

While the thought of Jason Morgan in his house was less than appealing, his need to take care of her was much more important any discomfort he could ever feel. "Whatever you need, Em," he assured her. He started to walk up the street toward the cottage, not wanting to end the call until he was looking into her eyes again. "How long have you been up? I was hoping I could be home before you woke."

"I just got up a few minutes ago," she answered. "I was all set to wake you up with one of my world famous hugs, but you weren't there when I rolled over. I can't believe I managed to sleep through all your snoring. You must have been exhausted."

"Well, I did fall asleep long after you did. I spent quite a long time watching you sleep before I drifted off," he replied. Passing by his neighbor's house, he fished his key ring out of his pocket and jogged up the staircase. "Have you called your brother yet?"

"The only place I've called this morning is Kelly's. I managed to indiscreetly order a delivery of hot coffee, bacon and pancakes," Emily answered. "I wish we could go there and hide out in our usual corner table, but I'm not quite ready to face the world. The chances of me avoiding running into people I know are slim to none. When I am ready, though, we are going to get ribs at Eli's. And I want to go down to the pier and eat a grape snow cone."

Lucky managed to quietly open the door and discard his keys on the small table just inside the living room. Taking off his sneakers, he headed up the stairs in his bare feet and down the hall toward his bedroom. Without saying another word, he gazed at her from his place in the door way. Emily's face lit up as her eyes met his. He grinned widely before ending the call and tossing the phone on the bed. "We will definitely have an entire day of Emily and Lucky goodness. I want us to do to all the things that we used to do when we were kids," he murmured as he crawled up on the bed beside her. Emily turned on her side to press a soft kiss to his jaw line. He reached down and brushed hair from her eyes. As much as he wanted to stare at her all day, he knew what he had to do. She needed this. It was the first step in moving forward. "Call Jason, Em. It's time."

She started to shake her head in protest but relented when he pressed the phone in to her palm. Dialing the number from memory, she listened as the phone rang a couple times. Finally, when her brother's deep voice filled her ear, Emily was surprised at the sudden burst of emotion that overtook her. "Jase," she breathed. Tears sprang to her eyes as Lucky wrapped his arms around her body supportively. "It's me."

"Em!" he exclaimed happily. It was rare to hear Jason sound genuinely excited, but it was clear that her reappearance was having an impact on him. "I can't believe it's really you."

"It's really me," she giggled softly. "I'm sorry that I didn't let you come last night, but I wasn't ready. I'm here with Lucky. It's strange to be back here, but I'm just readjusting to everything. I feel like there's an entire lifetime that I missed out on. He hasn't told me everything."

"He's just trying to protect you," Jason retorted, almost in disbelief that he was defending his sometimes rival. "Em, there is a lot that you don't know yet. I know that not all of it is going to be easy for you to deal with. I'm going to do my best to help you in any way that I can."

"You always have," she assured him. "I was calling to see if you wanted to come over. Lucky probably needs to go by and see the boys, but I don't want to be alone yet. I guess I'm still a little freaked out right now."

Jason scrubbed his hands over his face. It was almost too much to take in all at once. If it was this hard for him, he couldn't even begin to comprehend what it must be like for her. Part of him was angry that he hadn't been the one to figure out that Emily was still alive. He should have known that she wasn't gone. He had felt it so strongly with Michael, but he hadn't been able to feel it with his own sister. "I need to run by and see Carly, but I will come by as soon as I am finished there. I promised her that I would help her with something for Morgan."

Emily was slightly disappointed that she wasn't Jason's priority but quickly got past it when she thought about Morgan. Though he wasn't biologically apart of her family, she loved Morgan and Kristina as much as she loved Michael. "That's fine, just come by when you're done."

"I will," he promised. "I can't wait to see you, Em. I love you."

Turning to Lucky, she looked into his bright blue eyes and smiled. "I love you, too."

An hour later, Emily and Lucky had finished their breakfast in bed and were talking animatedly about their high school days when the door bell rang. Clapping excitedly, Emily bound from the bed and down the stairs in record time. Lucky was right behind her but was unable to beat her before he could reach the door. Without even looking outside, Emily pulled the door open. Her face immediately fell when she found Elizabeth outside with Cameron and Jake in her arms.

Elizabeth's face went ghost white as she gaped at her best friend. Shaking her head in disbelief, she looked over Emily's shoulder at Lucky. "What? How?"

Emily recoiled immediately, unsure of what to do. Lucky pushed himself in front of her and took Jake from Elizabeth's shaking arms. Cameron ran past him and into Emily's arms. She lifted him and buried her face in the crook of her godson's shoulder. Lucky was by her side immediately, wrapping his arm around her waist supportively. She hadn't prepared herself for Elizabeth. She was ready for Jason, but she couldn't handle her. Liz was supposed to be her best friend, but that part of Emily had shut off since she woke up. The only person she had allowed herself to really think about was Lucky and then her brother.

"I'm not ready," she whispered to Lucky. He nodded knowingly before taking Cameron from her. He held each of his son's on his hip before nodding toward the stairs. She didn't say anything else as she headed up the stairs. When she reached the top landing, she turned back and looked down at Elizabeth. "I'm so sorry."

When she had disappeared out of eyesight, Lucky set Cameron back down and walked over to the couch. "Come sit down," he told Elizabeth. She obeyed his demand and took a place opposite from him on the sofa. She was still in stunned silence. There wasn't words to explain this to her. "I'm going to explain everything to you. I know that this is a little shocking."

"Yeah, I don't think that's the word," she laughed humorlessly. "Why didn't you tell me before? You had to have known for awhile, Lucky. How could you keep this from me? How could you keep this from Nikolas? The four of us were best friends."

"_Were_ best friends," he emphasized. "I knew that I couldn't tell you because it made me sound crazy. How do you tell the people that loved her as much as I did that I started seeing her ghost? I saw her everywhere, and I didn't need anyone telling me that I was insane for believing that she was still alive. And when I figured it out, there wasn't a lot of time to act. I didn't want to get anyone's hopes up. My only focus on was getting her away from Helena."

"Helena had her?" Elizabeth asked. Darkness passed through her usually kind gaze. "Where was she being held? How did this happen?"

"Helena had her sedated and kidnapped the night of the Black & White Ball," he explained. "She was kept in a coma for the past several months while Helena worked out the plan. She wanted to use Emily as a way to control Nikolas. I don't know a lot of the reasoning. I just know that we managed to trace Emily to the compound. Nikolas let us use the private plane. I tried to tell him what I thought was going on, but he didn't want to hear it. I think he was afraid of believing anything. He's been doing so well with Nadine lately. If this didn't work out, it would have destroyed him."

"She's missed out on so much," Elizabeth commented aloud. "What have you told her? Does she know about Jake?"

"You know that she knew," he replied dryly. He didn't even want to get into that conversation with her. "I've told her about Robin and Georgie. She knows about the whole Text Message Killer, and we talked about Jake. I haven't brought up Michael yet. Jason is on his way now from seeing Carly. I'm going to talk to him about it when he gets here."

Elizabeth raked her fingers through her hair and shook her head in disbelief. She still couldn't believe that this was happening. She had dreamt of this moment many times, but she never could have believed that it would become real. "Why didn't she want to see me?"

"Em went through a lot while she was gone. I think that she just needs some time to figure things out. She doesn't even want to see Nikolas yet. The only person she felt ready to see was her brother," he answered truthfully. "It's not you, Liz. We just need to give her space."

"I guess showing up here with the boys was the last thing she needed then," she groaned. "I'm sorry, I should have called. I just hadn't talked to you in a few days, and I was starting to get worried. Now I understand why."

After a few minutes of conversation, Elizabeth declared that she was going to take the boys home. He hugged and kissed both his children before escorting them toward the door. Jason was waiting on the porchwhen they came out. A look of mutual discomfort passed between the three adults as Cameron shifted next to his father. "She's upstairs, you can go on in," Lucky announced, shielding his sons away from the mobster. They had agreed that he would stay away from the boys after the shooting, and now, Lucky had to do his part to make sure that happened.

Jason nodded in acknowledgement and let himself into the cottage without looking at his son. When the door was shut firmly behind him, Lucky leaned over and hugged Elizabeth goodbye. "Sorry," he whispered into her ear as he pulled away. She only nodded slightly before offering him Jake to kiss goodbye. Cameron was the last to get a hug, holding on extra tightly to his father. The little boy didn't understand how he could see Aunt Emily, but he was doing his best not to ask questions. Even at four years old, he knew when something was wrong with his parents.

"I'll call you when she's ready," he told Elizabeth as she shut the car door. Then, with one last wave, he returned to the house to attend to Emily and deal with Jason. When he came into the living room, Jason was waiting for him on the couch. Lucky looked toward the staircase and listened for her. "You could have gone up."

"I thought you might want to check on her first. I take it that she wasn't exactly expecting Elizabeth to stop by," Jason offered. "I didn't want to make it any worse and just surprise her. She seems to feel more comfortable with you at the moment."

"Thanks," lucky retorted before jogging up the stairs. He found Emily curled up in the middle of the mattress in the fetal position, tears rolling down her cheeks. He went to her immediately, pulling her into his lap. Her slender arms threaded around his neck as she hid her face in his shoulder. "It's okay, Em. She's gone, and I'm here."

"I shouldn't be so scared to see my supposed best friend," she sobbed softly. The truth was she hadn't expected to have such a strong reaction to seeing Elizabeth. It didn't make any sense that this would upset her as much as it had. "I don't understand what's wrong with me."

Lucky pulled back and pressed his forehead to hers so that he could look into her eyes. "I don't know either, Em," he told her truthfully, "but I promise you that we're going to find out together. You don't have to be okay with everything all at once. It's okay if you need time. Elizabeth understands and so will everyone else, including Jason. He's downstairs waiting for you, but if you're not ready, you can do it later."

Emily reached up to wipe her tears away before shaking her head resolutely. "No, I have to do this now. You said it yourself," she attempted bravely. "I need to get on with my life. I know it's only been a day but I can't dwell forever."

He wanted to go with her downstairs but felt it better to let her do this on her own. With one last lingering kiss, he pushed her out the door and shut it firmly behind her. Alone in the hallway, Emily took a deep breath before making her way down the stairs. Any fear or disease was immediately erased when she saw her big brother waiting on the couch. In a flash, she was down the stairs and into his waiting arms. He lifted her into a tight bear hug and held onto her as if her life depended on it. "I can't believe it's really you," he whispered as he embraced her. "God, I can't believe you're home."

Over the next hour, Emily carefully filled Jason in on everything that she knew. She elected to leave out the most intimate moments she had shared with Lucky, knowing that there was still something things she wanted to reserve for only them. He listened patiently, offering the right responses and acknowledgements along the way. She didn't ask him any questions, and he didn't offer her any news. He only let her find her own way through the conversation. Finally, after she had finished talking about seeing Elizabeth, she cocked her head to the side and regarded her brother. "Alright, Jase, what aren't you telling me? Something's happened, hasn't it?" she asked. "I can see it written all over your face. It's the same look Lucky gives me every time I ask him what I missed. What are the two of you hiding?"

Jason shook his head firmly. "You're not ready for that, Em."

"It's bad, isn't it?"

He wished he could tell her that it wasn't, but he could never lie to his only sister. How could he tell her this when he could barely think about it himself? So, instead, he elected to give her two smaller pieces of news that would still hurt her. She would have to learn at some point, and he might as well break her in now. "Well, I guess I could start by telling you that I took over the business."

Emily's jaw dropped. She knew that Jason had taken over the business a few years ago when Sonny had left town and tried disappear. He'd also taken temporary control when Emily had helped Sonny get through his breakdown. "Is he okay? What happened?" she asked worriedly. She knew that it would take a lot to get Sonny to this point. "For how long?"

"Forever," he answered, wishing that he had a different response for her. "Sonny relinquished all his rights to the organization and its subsidiaries other than the coffee business and the island casino. I'm only telling you this so that you understand the danger that comes along with it. I'm going to have to put a guard on you again. I know that you hate that, but I need to keep you safe."

In her former life, Emily would have protested immediately but she had already been through hell. "I understand," she replied obediently. "It's probably a good idea."

"Thank you for not arguing," he said evenly. "There's probably something I should tell you about Monica, too."

"Mom?" she repeated. Out of everyone in her life, Emily knew that her mother had probably been devastated with her "death." She wanted to see her next as soon as she knew that she had the strength to handle the Quartermaines again. "How is she?"

"Better now, but that wasn't the case for a very long time," he said. "After you died, she blamed me for what happened. After Diego came back and the truth came out, I really couldn't blame her. I knew that my life had made you a target. My choices affected the people that I loved – especially Carly, the boys and you. She was right to blame me."

Emily felt as protective as ever toward her big brother. "You've always done your absolute best to protect me. It's not your fault that this happened. Whether it was Diego or Helena that took me away from all of you, it was their sickness that did it – not you."

"Well, she didn't see it that way. Monica was so angry, and she just needed to lash out at someone. I was okay with being that person because I knew that I deserved it. Carly tried to tell me that I didn't, but I just wouldn't hear it."

"For once, I can't believe I agree with that woman," Emily confessed. "So, I guess you two aren't getting along again?"

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose anxiously. "We are now," he tried to explained. "She started drinking heavily after the funeral. At first, she tried to hide it by pouring vodka into her water bottle at the hospital. She didn't even let Edward or Alice see it. And then, she got worse until she was driving drunk. She was arrested once, but Alexis let her out. When it happened again, she lied and said that her car was stolen. The only thing was that she nearly killed Sam."

"Oh, God," Emily croaked, her voice suddenly hoarse. "Jason, she's an alcoholic?"

He nodded his head before resting his hand on her arm. "She had a trial and confessed to everything. She's been going through a rehabilitation program for the past several months. I go to visit her a couple times a week, and she's really doing well. They're even going to let her do in-patient care at GH once she finished this sobriety program. You'd be really proud of her, Em. She has come so far."

Emily wanted to cry but didn't feel like she had any tears left. This was part of what Lucky had been hiding from her, and now she could see why. Like the rest of the news, it had been hard to take on. However, a part of her knew that it still wasn't all of it. There was still something they didn't want her to know. Shrugging it off for the time being, Emily leaned forward to hug her brother. "Thank you for taking care of her."

"She's our mother, and now, we're the only family she has left," he told her. He offered her the biggest smile he could muster given the circumstances. Jason had thought about his shrinking family a lot lately. It had once been so full with Sonny and the Quartermaines and Sam and even Elizabeth and the boys. After losing Emily and then Michael, he had only had Monica, Carly and Morgan left. It was an incredible blessing to have his sister back.

"Well, at least you still have Carly and the boys," Emily grinned. She might have hated her brother's best friend, but she knew how much Carly meant to Jason. And of course, Emily absolutely worshipped Michael and Morgan. "Speaking of which, how did that thing go with Morgan?"

Jason smiled brightly, a rare moment from the usually stoic man. Only the three boys in his life could elicit such a smile. He also had a special smile he reserved for Carly and for his sister. They were easily the most important people in the world to him. Losing one had taught him to hold onto that. "It was fine. He wanted me to come to his pre-school. He had to do a project on his hero, and he picked me. You should have seen Carly, she was so proud."

"Probably because you're her hero, too," Emily grinned. "I should know how great that is, you've always been mine."

Emily allowed Jason to hug her again, relishing the safety of being with her brother. There were now two people she had to trust in the world again, two people she knew would keep her safe and protect her until the end. It was a small number, but with people like Lucky and Jason on her side, she felt as invincible as an army of hundreds. And as her brother pulled away to look down at her again, she felt peace in her world if only for a moment. "I'm really glad you're home, Em. I'm so happy that we're going to get a chance to do this all over again."


	15. Chapter 15

Lucky knew Emily well enough to leave her alone for at least an hour after Jason left the cottage. She had a lot to process in such a short conversation. Emily had known that it had likely been hell on Monica to lose her only daughter so shortly after Alan died last winter. However, she hadn't even contemplated the idea that her mother would blame Jason for her death. On the outside looking in, she could easily see how pushing it off on Jason could alleviate the pain at least temporarily. However, beneath the pain, Emily knew that Monica's greatest anguish likely came from the fact that her only remaining family really wanted very little to do with her. Emily knew how much Jason loved their mother but that it was hard for him to be apart of the Quartermaine family when a small part of them were still waiting for him to be something else. As the only one in the family who had ever been able to fully accept him for who he was when he woke up after the accident, she had seen firsthand how the paradox between Jason Quartermaine and Jason Morgan had ripped them all apart.

Once Emily had enough time to think about everything she had just learned, she finally climbed the stairs to Lucky's bedroom to talk to him. He was lying in the middle of the bed, his hands folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling in deep contemplation. "Hey," she murmured softly, nudging him in the side as she climbed onto the mattress beside him. "Jason left awhile ago. I thought you might come down to check on me."

"I figured you needed time. I know that he was going to tell you about your mom," he explained as he held out his arm for her to crawl into his waiting embrace. Emily snuggled down on the bed to his left, resting her head on his shoulder. "I've went to visit Monica a few times, Em. She's doing so much better. She had managed to work out a lot of her issues, including the grief she felt over losing you and your dad. You would be so proud of how far she's come. She has even made amends with Jason. He really helped her through her problems."

Emily thought about her brother and her mother for a moment. It made her happy to know that Jason had been able to get their mom through her darkest days after she had blamed him for so long. However, it wasn't their visits that brought the wide grin to her beautiful face. "You went and visited my mom?" she asked gingerly, propping herself up on her elbow to look down at him.

Lucky shrugged nonchalantly. Going to visit Monica had seemed like a natural reaction to a very hard situation to him. He knew that if he was the one who had died, Emily would be the first one to visit a grieving Luke or Laura if they needed it. "I didn't do anything that you wouldn't have done," he assured her. "In fact, I'm fairly certain that it is something that you've already done. I know how many hours you spent visiting my mom when she was still in the facility here in Port Charles. I'm just repaying the small favor."

"Well, do you think you're up for one more visit?" she asked. He nodded silently in response before reaching up to tuck a long strand of hair behind her ear. She turned her face to rest her cheek in his open palm. "I really would like to see her, especially before too many people know that I'm back. I'm sure that Jason is on his way over to see Carly, and it's only a matter of time before your wonderful cousin has informed all of Port Charles about my unforeseen return."

Chuckling heartily, Lucky couldn't defend the Spencer name at Emily's slight insult of Carly. "You know that she would do anything to defend Jason. If she thought that telling everyone you were back would clear his name and shift the blame from the Text Message Killer fiasco off him, she would sell pretty much anybody out," he pointed out. "Besides, if Jason didn't want her to know, he wouldn't tell her. He has to process this with someone, and for some unexplainable reason, my cousin happens to be his best friend. You know that you would come to one of us if the situation were reversed."

Emily thought about the time Lucky had been resurrected from the dead after the fire. She had wanted to tell the entire world that he was back but had been quiet until he felt the time was right. Even if she didn't trust or even like Carly, she knew that the vivacious blonde would walk through fire for her brother. If he loved her, Emily had to trust that there was something worthwhile somewhere inside her. "I just want to go see my mom, Lucky. I know that it's going to be hard walking in there. Having you there might make it easier for both of us."

"Em, she is going to be so overjoyed to see you that it's not going to be awkward at all. The only thing your mother has asked for over the past few months is another chance. You coming home again is the answer to her prayers," he promised, reaching up to brush a soft kiss over her lips in quiet reassurance. "It's the answer to all our prayers."

"After we see her, I guess we should probably see Elizabeth and the boys. Cameron didn't even seem surprised to see me, but there is a lot that probably needs to be explained," she acknowledged. "And I was kind of cold to her, I suppose. I just didn't really know what to do. I was barely comfortable in the fragile reverie we had built here, and then she came in unannounced and crashed it. It was just too much too fast, you know?"

"We will do this however you need to do it, Em. Everyone else is just going to have to be patient and understand," he proclaimed. "There are still a lot of things that you don't know and people you haven't seen. I know that Elizabeth can't wait to talk to you, but she will still be there when you're ready. Whether it is your family or your friends or Nikolas, everything is still going to be there when you are ready. You get to decide how this works – who you see and when."

Nodding thoughtfully, Emily smiled down at him and squeezed his hand. "Thank you for always knowing just what I need," she retorted. "I know that I want to see my mom first, and after that, I'd like to go by the mansion to see Grandfather if I am feeling strong enough. There are also a couple of people I would like to call."

"Well, I am going to go take a quick shower if you want to get started on those calls. I'd invite you to join me, but I don't think we're ready for that yet," he flirted. Emily turned crimson at his not-so-innocent comment. "I didn't think so. Well, you know where the phone is. I'll be out shortly and then you can have the bathroom."

Emily thanked him brightly before he disappeared into the private bathroom. Once she was left alone, Emily pulled the black cordless phone from its cradle and held it in her lap. There were people in her family not in Port Charles who would want to know that she was alive. She thought about calling Ned first but elected to dial someone else first. "Hey, Quartermaine," she said softly into the receiver. "What's shakin'?"

"This couldn't be," a man gasped into the receiver. "Who is this?"

"It's me, Dil," she giggled. Emily had always felt a kindred connection to Dillon. Like Emily, he had always been viewed as the future of the Quartermaine family. Edward had placed unfair expectations on both of them, never supporting their decisions or dreams. He had wanted them to both follow in his footsteps and serve as the head of ELQ. When Emily chose to become a doctor like her parents and Dillon chased after his cinematic dreams, they both knew how hard it had been on the old man. He had liked those choices almost as much as the decisions they had made about love when it came to Nikolas or Georgie. "I'm sure you're surprised to hear from me."

"Surprised doesn't even begin to cover it," he agreed. "Then again, you are a Port Charles Quartermaine, and we do have a way of reappearing when people least expect it. Just promise that I'm not crazy like my mom and you're not haunting me via cell phone."

Dillon's quip about his mother's visions and conversations with Alan was not lost on Emily. "No, I promise you that I'm very real, and I will explain everything if I can convince you to head east from sunny California for a little impromptu trip home," she promised. "For a little preview, I will tell you that involved a coma and Helena Cassadine. I'm sure that you will be able to use my story for a screenplay or something."

After years of living in the massive white mansion with the crazy people he called family, Dillon knew that there was very little he could past those people. There were stories upon stories about them that he planned on turning into a screenplay someday. He knew that Emily's little chapter had just gotten a little more interesting and a little less tragic. "I will book the first flight out of L.A. that I can get on," he decided. "Em, I'm not really sure what to say, but I'm glad that I get to say anything to you at all. You have no idea how much we've missed you."

"Oh, yes, I do," she proclaimed confidently. For all their insanity, the Quartermaines shared an unbreakable bond that had outlasted life and death, love and divorce, happiness and sadness. "Since I've been able to gain consciousness and actually understand what is going on around me, all I have been able to do is miss the family. I've already seen Jason, and I'm on my way to visit Monica. I'm planning on going by the mansion after that."

"Man, I wish I could see the look on Grandfather's face when you come walking through that door," he chuckled. They made small talk for a few more minutes before Dillon finally begged off, telling her that he wanted to make that flight reservation as quickly as possible. He hadn't been home since her funeral, and now, he was coming home again for her rebirth. "I will see you very soon, Em."

"I can't wait, Quartermaine," she responded before hanging up the phone. Lucky came out of the bathroom just as she replaced the handset on the charger. Running her fingers through her hair, she smiled up at him radiantly. "Dillon is coming home."

So you told him?" he grinned. It was clear that she was becoming more comfortable in her own skin again. One by one, she was letting people back into her life. "I'm sure that Ned will receive his call soon."

"Actually, I think that I will let Grandfather deliver the news to Ned. I have somewhere I need to be," she smiled brightly. It was a moment of pure joy, pure optimism, for her. "I am going to get that shower, and then we are going to see my mom."

After a quick shower and a stop at the floral shop for a fresh bouquet of mixed summer blossoms, Emily and Lucky were pulling up in front of the rehabilitation facility Monica called home. Lucky wasn't sure how he was going to explain Emily's presence to the hospital staff. Since everyone had believed she was gone, she wasn't on the visitors' list of course. In fact, her death had been a very central subject to Monica's recovery therapy. As if to read his mind, Emily looked up at the Lucky. "I'm just going to tell them who I am. I have my identification with me, and they know you. Between the two, hopefully that will be enough."

It took a lot of explanation and a little prodding, but they were eventually able to convince the hospital staff to let Emily in. Their story was unbelievable but not entirely unheard of; after all, most people in Port Charles had heard of Helena and knew of her potential. They didn't need to know all the details to understand what the menacing woman was capable of. As they turned the final corner that led to the corridor where Monica's private room was located, Lucky stopped her short. "Do you want me to go on ahead?"

Emily shook her head confidently. "I just want to see her," she explained before continuing forward. Lucky fell a few steps behind her to give mother and daughter a moment of privacy. For the first time since coming home, Emily forgot about Lucky for a minute in anticipation of seeing her mother. As the numbers on the doors grew closer and closer to that of Monica's room, Emily started to run. Her footsteps echoed in the empty hallway as she breathlessly made her way to her mother's room. It was only when she reached the door did she finally slow down. She knocked timidly once and then again louder. Then, without waiting for an answer, she pushed the door open.

Monica was staring out the window, her head bent over, when Emily came into the room. She didn't turn around at first, figuring that it was just someone coming to get her for group therapy or a private session. When she finally did turn around, she was stunned to see Emily gazing back at her. Long chestnut tendrils framed her face, a sly smile painted on her pert lips, her familiar eyes sparkling – she was everything that Monica remembered. "Emily!" Monica cried. She was too shocked to move. Everything in her body was screaming to take her little girl in her arms, but she felt frozen in her spot. Sensing her mother's hesitation, Emily leapt forward and ran into her mother's hesitant arms. Tears streamed down Monica's face as she enveloped her youngest child and only daughter in her arms. She didn't understand how it was possible, but it really didn't matter. The only thing that mattered was that she was holding Emily again. "Oh, Emily."

"I know," she replied soothingly back, rubbing small circles onto her mother's back. Emily heard Lucky come in the room behind her. She pulled away slightly to look back at him over her shoulder. "I think she's happy to see me."

Monica took Emily's hand and guided her over to the bed so that they could both sit down. She was feeling weak on her feet but didn't want to let go of her daughter. Emily wrapped her arm around her mother's shoulders supportively, leaning her head against Monica's like she had as a little girl. Slowly, Emily began to explain everything to her mother, patiently answering every question and expertly reassuring every concern. Lucky sat silently in the corner, filling in the blanks when prompted but otherwise allowing the mother and daughter time to reconnect. Monica listened intently with mixed awe and anxiety, flabbergasted at how someone could ever be as cruel as Helena had been to her daughter. She praised Lucky for believing in the unbelievable and was surprised to find herself thanking god for Luke Spencer.

"Well, I guess that's pretty much everything up to now," Emily told her. "I saw Jason this morning, and he told me that you were here. I'm really glad that you are working on everything, Mom. I am so proud of how far you have come. I'm only sorry that I wasn't here to help you through it."

Her mother looked at her with amazement. Even though she had been kidnapped and placed into a coma, Emily's first instinct was to apologize for not being there to help Monica. "Given the circumstances, I think it's quite alright," she laughed. "I don't care what happened before this moment. I have my little girl back." At those words, Emily finally allowed the tears she had held at bay to break over the dam created by her tightly squeezed eyelids. Monica reached up instinctively to wipe them away, but her effort was fruitless. Emily only cried harder at the affectionate gesture, causing Monica to cry. Even Lucky found himself tearing up as he watched the delicate interaction. "I love you, Emily," Monica breathed softly as she hugged her daughter. "I am so grateful for your place in my life. I didn't tell you that enough before, but I want you to know that. I am so blessed to have had…to have you as my daughter."

Emily shook her head selflessly "I am the lucky one," she professed as she looked between her mother and her best friend. "I love you too, Mom. We've all been given a second chance, and I am going to make sure that we take full advantage of it. In fact, I even managed to convince the facility to let you come home with me for the afternoon to the mansion. I want you to be there when I tell the family."

Looping her arm through Emily's bravely, Monica was excited at the prospect of a free afternoon from the confines of the center. Even more than that, she was going to get to see her family and she was going to get to do that with her daughter. "I can't think of anything that would make this day better."

"I can," Lucky spoke up. "I convinced Jason earlier to come with us. He's going to be waiting at the mansion when we get there."

Both women were surprised by his announcement. Monica looked at her daughter and squealed loudly, sounding much like a teenaged girl. Emily threw her arms around her mother happily. It had been a long time since the ever-shrinking family had been together under happy circumstances. "Thank you, Lucky," Monica said.

"Yes," Emily agreed as she crossed the room. She leaned down to wrap her arms around Lucky and hugged him tightly. Pulling back, she brushed a brief but heartfelt kiss over his mouth. He smiled against her lips as she whispered her thanks in his ear. Just as she was about to pull away fully, she leaned back in again. "That shower you mentioned earlier? It's coming closer and closer to becoming a reality."


	16. Chapter 16

Months held in captivity and kept in a coma had left Emily feeling tired and easily weakened. She wasn't at all surprised when she instantly fell asleep when she returned to Lucky's vehicle with her mother. They had nearly a half-hour journey before they would make it to the mansion, and apparently, her body decided to take advantage of every single minute. However, as she blinked her eyes open, she felt like barely a second had passed. Her exhaustion upon waking up was instantly replaced with anxiety over seeing her family. The Quartermaines were chaos personified on a good day. She had no idea how they would react seeing her again. Sure, she wasn't the first Quartermaine to rise from the dead, but she knew that her reappearance would be different.

"Well, I hope Grandfather took his heart medicine," she mumbled to herself as Lucky turned the dark car into the private gate. She peered up at the pristine white mansion before her. When she had first come to New York from Arizona, she had been in awe of the sprawling, lush estate. She had never seen so many trees or so much grass. It was nothing like the bland reds and tans of the desert. It had been love at first site and other than missing her mother, Emily had never looked back. She loved the live that she led in Port Charles, and now that she was back again, she planned to live it to its fullest.

Lucky reached across the seat and squeezed her hand reassuringly. "Don't worry, Em. Edward has been doing pretty well," he told her. "He hasn't had any incidents since your funeral. Alice has made sure that he's stuck to his diet, but I hear that Cook manages to sneak him a treat every once in awhile. For the most part, he has really tried to take care of himself."

Emily was surprised to hear that Lucky had been by to visit her grandfather. Other than Laura, Edward had never had much use for any of the Spencer clan. He had made an exception for Lulu after he had fallen in love with her independent spirit. The very things he hated about Luke he loved in Lulu. Having her live with them for the time she had spent there had brought new life to the mansion. "You've been by to visit Grandfather?"

"Only when Tracy is out of town," he shrugged. The truth was Lucky felt a sense of duty to the old man. With Tracy constantly having to track down his dad and Monica away, there wasn't really anyone to go by and see him. Lucky knew that would have been Emily's job if she had still been alive, so he felt like he should at least do it for her. "It's not that big of a deal. We just sit and visit for awhile. He likes to talk about you some and he asks about the boys. I think he misses being around kids."

"Grandfather always regretted that he didn't have more great-grandchildren. He's never really got to spend all that much time with Michael," Emily lamented. She didn't notice as Lucky exchanged an uncomfortable look in the rearview mirror with Monica at the mention of the young boy's name. "Maybe I can convince Jason to bring him by soon. I'd really like to see my godson."

Neither Monica nor Lucky said anything as he pulled his car into the circle driveway in front of the house. Lucky had called ahead to say that he was going to stop by so that they wouldn't send anyone out to meet him. He wanted to bring Monica in and then Emily so as to not overwhelm Edward. While he knew the old man's heart was strong enough to take it, the last thing he wanted to do was risk it. "Monica, do you want to go on ahead and I'll bring Em in a minute?"

Monica nodded politely as she slipped from the car. She paused at Emily's door, taking a minute to gaze into her only daughter's eyes. They were warm and comforting, the sense of home she had been missing so terribly these past few months. For so long, she had bargained with God for what she was willing to do or give up to see her again. Now that she was standing in front of her, Monica was sure that she would never ask for anything ever again. "I'm so happy that you're home," she murmured before leaning forward to hug her daughter tightly. "This family just didn't work without you."

Brushing a tear from her mother's eye, Emily smiled at Monica bravely. "You would have figured it out. The Quartermaines are a resilient bunch," she proclaimed. "Now, you get on in there so that I can go see my family. I can hardly wait!"

Once Monica had disappeared inside, Lucky jogged around to meet Emily at the door. She stayed in her seat a moment, just staring up at her home. "You're finally home, Em," he whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist. Her chin found its place on his shoulder as his hands crept down her back. "You're home."

Emily shook her head against him. "I was home the moment I saw you again," she mused softly. "This is just bringing it all full circle. That's why I sent my mom on ahead. I just wanted a moment alone with you because I don't know when we'll get one again."

"Tonight," he promised. "You're still going to come home with me. I don't care what your family says, I am not letting you out of my sight. I know that the time will come when I will have to but I want to be selfish for just a little longer."

Glad that she wasn't going to lose his full devotion just yet, Emily allowed Lucky to lift her from the seat. Her feet grazed the ground as he danced her around in circles in the driveway. Her arms were threaded firmly around his neck, both of their chuckles intermingling in the air. He nodded toward the house and she grabbed his hand. "Let's go," she declared before pulling him to the house. She thought about ringing the doorbell but then decided against it. Instead, she let herself into the foyer. It still smelled exactly like she remembered, warm and comforting like a freshly baked pumpkin pie. A photograph of her with Nikolas still sat in its place on the small table by the staircase, and it looked like Alice had just set out a big bouquet of fresh flowers that morning on the center table. "Grandfather!"

Lucky and Emily stood quietly, awaiting the loud buzz of the Quartermaine arrival. "Now who in the world could that be?" Edward bellowed as a flurry of footsteps followed him. "It almost sounded like Emily. I must be going crazy like Tracy. I wonder if what she has is contagious. I think I was just so glad to see Monica that I conjured up her voice."

"No, you didn't," she announced as the old man came through the doorway. He stopped short of her, his palm pressed against his chest. She laughed and leapt forward, leaving Lucky behind her as she threw herself in his arms. Tears instantly sprang to his eyes and he clung to her. He kept muttering over and over again that it couldn't possibly be her. "It's really me, Grandfather, I promise. I'm really here."

Tracy came in after him, once again stopping short when she spotted Emily. "Okay, is everyone else seeing her right now or has she returned to haunt me with her father?" she asked skeptically. "I can't handle two of them."

"Oh, can it, Tracy, and go hug your niece. We just found out she's still alive," Monica ordered. She gently pressed her sister-in-law forward. Tracy had never been a timid woman but in Emily's presence, it was clear she didn't know how to react. "She's not going to bite."

Emily's face broke out into a wide grin as she pulled her uncomfortable aunt into a tight embrace. They had never been close, but she was still family. "Well, I finally have proof that the Cassadines are crazier than the Quartermaines," she announced as she hugged her. Tracy laughed as she pulled back, smoothing an imaginary wrinkle from her teal silk shirt. "Just so you know, I've already called Dillon and he is on his way home. He promised to call Ned and arrange for him to bring Brook Lynn back to town. I want to have a full Quartermaine reunion."

"I can't believe you're here," Edward cried again, wrapping his arm around her waist. He carefully led her into the sitting room, the rest of the Quartermaines and Lucky following in their footsteps. Alice was inside the room, setting out the afternoon tea and snacks. The strong redhead was just as awestruck when she saw Emily. "Look who is back."

Alice welcomed her with the tightest bear hug Emily could have imagined. She asked the same questions that everyone had asked. Emily told them the story carefully, answering each inquiry just as she had with everyone else. Then, they took their turn filling Emily in on Skye and other things she had missed. Every once in awhile, Emily would catch Edward staring at her with twinkling eyes or Tracy watching her with a thankful smile and she would remember just how blessed she was to have these crazy people as her family. And as her eyes landed on Lucky, who was leaning forward listening to Edward story intently, she knew that he was possibly her biggest blessing.

"Well, I can't believe I am about to say this after all Luke has cost us over the years, but it looks like we owe a great deal to the Spencer men," Edward acknowledged. "I can't say that I would have believed you had you brought this to me beforehand, but I'm glad that you followed your instincts to bring Emily home. She is the light of this family, and without her, our world was a far darker place."

"I had purely selfish motives," Lucky smiled, his eyes locked on Emily. "I couldn't imagine a world without her, and once I thought I wasn't going to have to, I wouldn't settle for anything less than bringing her home."

"This is all so unbelievable," Alice couldn't help but point out. "Who else have you seen?"

"Well, other than Luke and Lucky, the only people I have seen are Jason and Elizabeth," she answered. "I really only wanted to see my brother, but Liz happened to stop by when he was visiting. I am going to go see her next and then maybe work my way up to Nikolas. He knew that Lucky was going to find me, but he didn't really believe that I was still alive. And before any of you worry about it, I know about Nadine. A lot has happened, and Nikolas and I can't go back to the way things were."

Edward sighed in relief. He had been worrying about to broach the subject with Emily. "I think it's a wise idea that you just take things as they come," he agreed. "You've already been through so much. I would hate for you to put pressure on yourself before you're ready."

"That's the idea," Lucky concurred. "There are a lot of people who will want to see Em. I know that there are a lot of people that want to see her. We're trying to do it slowly because she still gets overwhelmed pretty easily. Even the ride over here was enough to tire her out."

"Yes, Lucky hasn't told me everything that I missed yet," she rolled her eyes. "He has some big secret that he isn't telling me. I already know about Skye, my mom, Georgie and the whole Diego fiasco. I can't imagine there is anything much worse." The same familiar darkness swept through Edward's eyes that had masked Monica's earlier. This did not go unnoticed by Emily. She turned to Lucky and looked at him kindly. "You know you're going to have to tell me eventually."

He nodded slowly. "I wish that I didn't have to," he retorted sadly. "Whenever you think you're really ready for it, I will tell you everything. Until then, no one is going to tell you anything. I mean, once I tell you this, there is no going back."

The weight of his statement scared Emily. She wasn't brave enough to know the truth yet. The thought of knowing something had already happened that would change her life wasn't easy to swallow. It clearly impacted everyone in her family too because every time it was even alluded to, their entire demeanors changed. "I know, Lucky," she said finally. "We'll get there, I guess. For now, I just want to enjoy time with my family."

For the next few hours, that was exactly what Emily did. She talked to her aunt and grandfather about everything, their usual topics of conversation and ones she had never had the guts to bring up. Edward never left her side for a moment, hanging onto every syllable of every single word. It could have easily been smothering, but it wasn't at all. Just as he was about to launch into the latest on ELQ business, the door chimes rang out and filled the room with its familiar melody.

"Okay, what was so important that I had to drag Brook Lynn away from the studio?" Ned called as he sat his suitcases down in the front entrance. "What did you do this time, Grandfather?"

Monica was the first to reach him. "Well, for one, I got to come home for my first visit," she told him. His face lit up when he saw her. He hadn't been there when she went into rehab, but they had kept up through phone conversations. "And for another thing, there is someone waiting for you in the living room."

"Well, it can't be Dillon because I just hung up with," Brook Lynn decided as she shoved her cell phone into her pocket. "He is still sitting on a plane in L.A. waiting to take off, but he promises that whatever we came home for will be well worth it."

"It depends on if you think I'm worth it," Emily shot back as she stood in the doorway, her fist on her hips. She watched in amusement as Ned and Brook Lynn reacted exactly as the rest of her family had. It came in phases – shock to crying joy to laughing excitement. Hugs were exchanged again, and before she knew it, she was launching into the story again. She laughed as Ned justified his hate for the Cassadine family, a long-standing distain after his relationship with Alexis. He had seen the impact that family had on a woman, and now that he knew that Helena was behind Emily's "death," he only hated them that much more.

After she was finished with the unbelievable tale, the room was quiet. It was the second and third time some of them were hearing it and the first for Ned and his daughter. The second time around had even more of an impact on Edward. He rose to his feet and crossed the room. Leaning down in front of Lucky, he took the young detective's hand and shook it firmly. "Thank you again, Son," he said, tears watering in his eyes. "Thank you for bringing our Emily back to life. Thank you for bringing her home to all of us."


	17. Chapter 17

Cook had just set a dinner consisting of all Emily's favorite foods on the grand dining room table when the melodic chimes filled the spacious room. Emily's ears perked up immediately as she exchanged a knowing look with Lucky beside her and her mother from across the table. All afternoon, she had been waiting somewhat patiently for their final guest to arrive. While Dillon wouldn't be in New York for a few more hours, she had been eagerly anticipating a visit to the Quartermaine mansion from another member of the family. She knew that the unexpected diner would bring a smile to everyone's face, most importantly her grandfather. After the year that they had, Emily felt it was well past time that they finally come together as a family.

"I wonder who that could be," Emily mused coyly, her eyes fixed on the doorway. Alice had disappeared a moment before to retrieve the guest. Edward shrugged distractedly in response as he stabbed at his plate of field greens with a salad fork. He didn't seem at all interested in knowing who had interrupted his meal. No one in the family would use the doorbell, and he wasn't particularly fond of having any other guests. He wanted to spend time with Emily and keep her to the family as long as time would allow. "Grandfather, aren't you going to go see?"

Edward managed a sweet smile as he looked up at his youngest grandchild. "Alice will announce whoever it is soon enough," he answered before returning to his meal. "Besides, nothing could make this day any better than your return home."

Emily grinned as his mind was immediately changed and Edward was forced to eat his words. Springing to her feet, Emily was the first to reach a stoic Jason. He faltered for only a moment as he swept his baby sister into a tight hug. Even if he was seeing her for the second time in a short span, he couldn't help but be overcome by her mere appearance. "Hey, Em," he chuckled as she squeezed him harder. "Sorry I am so late. There was someone I wanted to bring with me."

Confusion passed through Emily's eyes as she looked past his shoulder to the foyer. She knew that Jason had broken up with Sam before the ball, and as far as she was aware, Elizabeth was still dedicated to keep Jake far away from his biological father. "Who is it?"

"I hope you don't mind but I thought that you might like to see Morgan," he murmured as he stepped away. He went into the foyer and returned again with the dark five-year-old at his side. Carly was a step behind him, carrying an immaculate spray of crimson roses and ivory lilies. "He doesn't exactly understand what's going on, but Morgan was really excited to see you."

Dropping immediately to her knees, Emily held open her arms to catch the running boy. He clung to her tightly as she picked him up. She couldn't help but cry a little at holding the little boy. She felt almost silly weeping for approximately the fiftieth time that day, but she was overjoyed at being able to see Sonny and Carly's youngest child. "Morgan, I missed you!" she exclaimed as they turned around in a circle. Somewhere behind her, Emily heard her mother's small laugh. "Look at how big you've grown."

"I know, I am almost six," he told her proudly. "Mom and Uncle Jason are going to have a birthday party for me in a couple weeks at the park. You have to come, promise me! Mercedes is going to be there and Spinelli and Lulu and Grandma Bobbie…"

"Buddy, I don't think that Emily needs to hear the entire guest list right now," Jason pointed out as he took a rambunctious Morgan from her arms. The little boy laughed as Jason tickled his sides playfully before setting him back to the ground. The room was quiet for a moment as Morgan played. Everyone other than Emily was thinking about how there should be two kids playing in that dining room. Jason had been reluctant to bring Morgan to the Quartermaines at first, afraid that it would conjure up memories of a child they all missed. Thankfully, Carly had agreed that it was a good idea and promised to come along as a buffer.

Carly sensed Jason's hesitation and brushed past her best friend to offer the bouquet of flowers to Emily. While the two women had never seen eye to eye, they had always been kindred spirits in their mutual love of Jason. There would never be two women as important to him as his sister and best friend. They were the only women strong enough to handle everything that came with being apart of his life. It didn't matter how much they didn't know or how much they saw or how much they were put through, both Emily and Carly were dedicated to standing by his side. It was only in Emily's death that Carly was able to see that. "Here, we got these for you," she said softly as the flowers exchanged hands. "Welcome home."

"Thank you," Emily retorted with a genuine smile. She searched the blonde's eyes for a hint of the usual snarkiness, but her gaze was devoid of anything negative. Carly only nodded and slipped back by Jason's side. Emily noticed how easily Jason wrapped his arm around his friend's waist, his chin resting on top of her head as they watched Morgan play. "Well, as long as you're here, why don't you sit down and join us? Cook always makes too much food, and I know how much you love her carrot cake, Carly."

A throaty chuckle escaped past Jason's lips as Carly clapped her hands like a small child. Cook's ability to satisfy her notorious sweet tooth had been one of the only things the vivacious woman had enjoyed about living in the Quartermaine house all those years ago when she was married to A.J. Jason pulled out a chair for her near the end and then managed to wrangle Morgan into a seat before going around to hug his mother. "It's really good to see you out," he told her as he pulled away. It was still an awkward relationship, but Jason was doing his best to work on it. After losing Alan and Emily last year, he had realized how much he'd missed out on. With Sonny almost out of his life, it was important to hold onto Carly, Morgan and the rest of the Quartermaine family he had left. "I was going to come by to visit you tomorrow afternoon, but this is so much better."

Monica nodded in agreement as she held her son's hand for a moment. Looking to Emily, she tried to remember the last time she was in a room with the two of them under happy circumstances. "Thank you for coming," she replied. "You're right, this is much better."

Walking around the table, Jason met a now standing Edward and shook his head. A quiet moment passed between the two men as they stared at each other – icy blue eyes meeting icy blue eyes. "Grandfather," Jason greeted as Edward said as coolly, "Jason." Theirs was a relationship that was strained at best and completely shattered at worst. Jason blamed Edward for trying to control him all those years ago and for continuously being unable to accept that he had been resurrected as Jason Morgan. Edward hated that he had lost his grandson and great-grandson to the likes of Sonny Corinthos.

"Come on, Jase," Carly said finally, drawing both men out of the awkward power struggle. He looked at his grandfather for a moment longer and then went back to his seat between Carly and Morgan. She leaned over and said something quiet, eliciting a nod from him. Emily watched the interaction with interest. The dynamic between the two had always been different from anything she had ever seen, but it was clear that there was something more to it now. She had always admired how Carly was able to bring out a different side to Jason, one that broke past all the cool facades to bring out the fiery essence of his soul. She wasn't scared to go toe to toe with him, to challenge his demands, to fight for his heart. Jason had always been a different man with Carly, a better man.

Just as she was thinking those things, Lucky reached under the table and squeezed her hand. Looking over at him, Emily couldn't help but draw a comparison. Lucky had always made Emily feel like a different woman, a better woman, when she was with him. There was no pretense involved; he knew and loved who she was. There had never been the guise of a Quartermaine princess to fool him. He still could see the awkward orphan who came barreling into his life all those years ago. He had never been scared to fight with her or fight for her or fight beside her.

"Well, I would like to propose a toast," Monica announced, holding her crystal goblet of tonic water high in the air. She looked across the table at the makeshift family she now presided over and felt an unfamiliar flutter in her heart. "To Jason, for being here tonight. To Carly, for probably pushing him to come. To Edward, who started all this all those years ago. To Tracy, for being just crazy enough. To Lucky, for making all this possible. And to my beloved Emily, for bringing us all back together again."

The diners exchanged cheers as they raised their glasses and toasted them loudly together. Morgan enjoyed tapping his plastic glass against Jason's, feeling much older than his five years. He reached across the table, leaning as far as his little knees would allow, to exchange cheers with Emily before realizing he had been left out. "Hey, what about me?" he demanded, looking up at Monica in disappointment.

"Oh, we couldn't forget you," Emily promised. "To Morgan, the first kid who ever made me feel like I could be a parent and half of the most dynamic brothers I have ever known." Morgan laughed as Jason and Carly toasted him, his eyes dancing with pride and excitement. Emily watched on for a moment, enjoying his innocent fun, before addressing a question that had been lingering in the back of her mind since Jason's arrival. "Hey, where is Michael anyway?"

A loud clang echoed in the room as Carly dropped her butter knife on her plate. Jason reacted immediately, resting his hand on the small of her back. The blonde looked down at the plate and took long, steady breaths. Edward looked away awkwardly, fiddling with the edge of the white linen napkin spread across his lap. Monica and Tracy were both silent as well, doing their best to focus on the food in front of them. Lucky scrubbed his face with his hands, searching for a way to appease her temporarily, but his plans were soon nixed when Morgan's tiny voice filled the air.

"Michael's gone."


	18. Chapter 18

Unbeknownst to him, Morgan's stunning confession sent a chilly silence over the still dining room. The only sound filling the air was the harsh noise of Carly's stifled sobs as she wept freely into her open hands. Jason was by her side immediately, kneeling next to her chair and speaking in low, soothing tones. His head was bent closely to hers as she reached down and clung to him desperately. He managed to maneuver her out of the chair into his lap so that he could cradle her like a small child.

Emily watched the scene unfolding in front of her, unsure exactly what it meant. When she had first heard Morgan's words, she just figured that he was away at soccer camp or maybe on some trip with Jax. However, as she observed Carly's heartbreaking reaction, she knew that something much larger at play. Things began to fall in place instantly. She had known the entire time she had been back in Port Charles that Lucky was keeping something big from her – something that had the power to send her reeling. She had picked up those same strained vibes the first time she'd seen Jason as well as when they'd gone to visit Monica. It was now clear to her that they were hiding something about Michael.

Turning to Lucky, tears started to shed in her warm cocoa eyes. She could see the same sadness and concerned mirrored in his wavering gaze as he watched his cousin falling apart. "What happened?" she asked softly, her voice sounding much louder because of the empty silence in the room. He simply shook his head and looked down at his plate. The last thing he wanted to do was dredge up the entire story in front of Carly when she was breaking down before their very eyes. "Lucky, where is Michael? Is he dead?"

As quickly as the tears had come, Carly stared up at Emily with fire blazing in her vacant blue eyes. "No, he's not dead. There is still hope," she shouted before Jason could rein her in. Edward and Tracy slipped awkwardly from the table. While they were family by extension, for once they both had enough tact to know that they didn't belong there. Lucky almost admired them for getting to leave, but he had to stay with Emily. This was going to kill her. "You want to know what happened to Michael? He got shot because of who his father was. Remember all those months we spent fighting over Sonny and you kept telling me that he would do anything to keep his sons safe…well, you were wrong. As it turns out, we were both wrong!"

"Come on, Carly," Jason prodded gently. The blonde turned to him angrily and pulled her arm out of his grasp. Biting his bottom lip in determination, he whirled her back around and placed his hands firmly on her shoulders. His sheer force made her meet his demanding stare. Lucky and Emily both watched it soften noticeably when he saw the pain masking her face. "This is your story to tell, and Emily needs to hear it. Why don't we go sit down on the sofa and you can tell her everything."

Carly wanted to stick out her bottom lip and cross her arms in defiance, but she didn't. The last thing she felt like doing was reliving this sorted nightmare one more time, but Jason was asking her to do this. She knew that it was just as much for him as it was for Emily. He didn't want to be the one to tell his little sister that they couldn't protect her godson. After all the things Jason had done to help her through this, Carly knew that she owed him. She could do this, would do this, for him. "Fine," she relented, allowing Jason to take her hand and guide her into the sitting room. Carly flopped in the middle of the couch and pulled her best friend down beside her. Emily chose the overstuffed armchair to the left, feeling the slightest comfort that the bad news would be delivered from the confines of her father's favorite chair. Lucky perched on the arm beside her and reached automatically for her hand.

"Now start from the beginning and go slowly," Jason ordered her carefully. Carly nodded at him once, a small smile playing across her lips. An unspoken agreement passed between the two of them, and Lucky could tell that his cousin had just repaid a small debt to the mob enforcer. She was doing both of them a favor. Neither of them wanted to be the one to break Emily's heart. Only Carly was strong enough to do it. "Em, I know you're going to have a lot of questions, but just listen to her all the way through. This isn't going to be easy to hear."

Without even waiting for any prodding, Carly jumped right into the story. "In early April, Jason had to go to Seattle to have surgery on his hand after he was injured in the struggle with Diego Alcazar. I was at the Metro Court taking care of some business, and the boys were at home with their new nanny, Mercedes. Apparently, Kate Howard must have stopped by and picked Michael up to take him to visit Sonny at the warehouse. There was a lot going on with the business, and Sonny had been acting unreasonable for some time. If it wasn't for your brother, he probably would have lost it…"

Jason rubbed his thumb over the top her hand, giving Carly the strength to go on with the story. "The Zacharra family had been making threats for awhile. Michael accidentally shot Kate on the docks a few weeks before with a gun we didn't know he had. Sonny thought that it was one of the Zacharra and ended up kidnapping this kid, Johnny. I was actually fighting with his psychopath sister, Claudia, when it happened. Sonny slept with her too, by the way, but I guess that's beside the point."

Carly was now somewhere between angry and devastated, tears staining her otherwise beautiful face. Jason was so close to her that not even a sheet of paper could pass between them. Emily was on the edge of her seat, trying to register each detail while mentally playing a guessing game. She didn't want to hear the results of this story, but she knew that she had to. "Please, go on," she asked politely. She glanced up at Lucky, who tried to smile bravely at her.

"While I was standing in the lobby fighting with Claudia Alcazar, she had hired a gunman named Ian Devlin to take out Sonny," Carly continued. "He was standing in the warehouse with Michael and Kate when he spotted the glint of a handgun. He dove for Kate when a shot rang out. The bullet ricocheted and hit my little boy instead. Michael fell into a coma right away."

By this time, it was Jason's muted sobs that broke the uncomfortable silence in the room. Carly turned immediately and pulled Jason into a hug. Lucky felt almost uncomfortable watching the intimacy of their interaction until he looked down at Emily. A stiff hand covered her pert mouth. "No, no, no," she murmured over and over again. Lucky could see her slipping away from them as she pulled her knees up to her chin. Forgetting about his cousin and her brother, Lucky fell into the chair beside her and enveloped her in his arms. She turned instinctively and buried her face in his shirt. She fisted the soft material, beating against his body angrily. Suddenly, nothing made sense. "This wasn't supposed to happen to him. He was supposed to be safe. They always said that the women and children were safe."

Carly turned to the younger woman with a fierce coldness in her eyes. "I guess they lied," she deadpanned. "I was told a lot of things that ended up not being true. I've spent the last two months going over every single detail wondering what I could have done differently so that this wouldn't happen. It's hard to regret much of it when it gave me both of my boys, but it's also hard to say that I'd do everything the same. What if I had never lied about A.J.? What if I hadn't let Sonny adopt Michael? What if we didn't stay married after I lost the baby? What if I didn't decide to keep trying? What if I had left after the divorce? There are a lot of questions I could ask myself, but it all comes down to one moment that changed everything."

Emily had hated Carly from the very first moment when she had met the woman. She saw her as the shrew that had convinced her brother to lie and had nearly wrecked her entire family. She saw her as the conniving bitch who kept Michael away from half of his family. She saw her as a manipulative liar that used people, most importantly Jason and her sons, to get what she wanted. She saw her as many things, but in that moment, she saw her as a mourning mother who had lost half her soul because of a single man's insanity and possessiveness. "What was it?"

"The lie," Jason answered for her. He raked his fingers through his sandy blonde hair nervously, desperate to do anything to keep his body from shaking. They had never spoken about this, but he had thought about it at length. There was always a moment that changed everything, and he knew theirs. While most people would guess that it was the rainy night she showed up at his door pregnant, but he knew it was something different. "The night of the Nurse's Ball when Sonny lied to her about Elizabeth and me changed the rest of our lives. If he had only told her the truth like any true friend would have, Carly wouldn't have ended up with Sonny. I don't do regrets, but I would have never walked away from our family if that night hadn't happened. In one selfish move, he ripped our entire lives apart. He stole the woman I loved and the child I loved, and I blame him for this. We all made mistakes, but he made the biggest. I would have never let either of the boys or Carly be put in this position."

It was the first time anyone other than Carly had heard Jason speak openly against his former partner, mentor and best friend. "Anger and envy make people do crazy things," Lucky agreed as he looked down at Emily. He couldn't think about how he had nearly lost her because of Helena's own insanity. If she had succeeded, Emily would have come back to Port Charles and back to Nikolas. They would have never had these past couple days, and they certainly wouldn't have even the hope of a future. "Why don't you tell Emily the rest?"

"Michael is in a long-term facility in the city where they care for patients with his type of conditions," Carly explained. "I go to visit him at least three days a week. Thanks to Jason, Sonny signed over his rights to both boys. Unfortunately, the only way I could keep them safe was to keep him away. When you are ready, I would be happy to take you up there to visit. I know this is a lot to take in at once. We've had two months to take it in, and I still can't comprehend that this is our reality."

Emily had tried to stop the tears repeatedly, but they just wouldn't subside. She didn't understand how any of this could be true. She wanted to be angry at Lucky for keeping this from her, but she understood why he had. Slipping from the chair, she padded across the room and knelt down in front of an entwined Carly and Jason. Leaning forward apprehensively, she wrapped them in a silent hug. She held onto them both for a long moment, letting every ounce of anger and hatred slip away. Finally, pulling back, she looked straight into the other woman's eyes. "You were the center of Michael's universe and the rest of us were lucky to just be spectators," she told her softly. "He thought the absolute best of you, and no matter what mistakes you made, you were a good mother to him. I feel blessed to have known and been loved by your amazing son. Thank you so much for letting me be a godmother to Michael. Both of you, thank you for that truly incredible gift."

In a very uncharacteristic move, Carly reached for Emily's hand and squeezed it. "You were a very important part of Michael's life, and I know that he would be overjoyed to know that you are here with us," she murmured. "Thank you for loving all three of my boys – my sons and Jason. You and I may never be best friends, but we have a hell of a lot more in common than either of us would like to admit. I hope that you will continue to be apart of Morgan's life."

A mutual understanding passed between the women in that moment. Finally, Jason dragged himself to his feet and helped Carly up. "I'm going to go help her freshen up and find where Monica took Morgan," he announced. "Come find us when we're ready."

"Okay," Emily agreed before hugging her brother again. She watched forlornly as the pair disappeared from the room. With her back turned, she kept her eyes focused on the empty doorway until she felt a warm pair of arms slip around her waist. Turning around in his embrace, she let him press his forehead to hers. "It's okay, I understand why you couldn't tell me."

Pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, Lucky tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I know that you needed to know, but I didn't want to be the one to break your heart," he revealed. "The last two months have changed everything for all of us. After Michael was shot, Elizabeth immediately pulled away from Jason. She was more determined than ever to keep Cameron and Jake safe. It's the only reason she agreed to let me keep pretending that I was their father. Jason agreed to stay away for their sake. As they grew further apart, Carly started to grow closer to Jason. Everything is so damn upside down that I'm still trying to make sense of it all. How was I supposed to explain it to someone who missed her own life for the past seven months?"

"You can't," she shrugged. "Even if I had been there, it would be impossible to explain this in a way that makes sense. In what kind of sick, sad world does a little boy get shot while visiting his dad at work? That could have so easily been my child if I had stayed with Sonny. I thought I had escaped that with Nikolas, and look where that got me. This life is such a dark place."

"I know, baby," he coddled, stroking her hair as she broke down in tears again. He brushed his fingers up and down her spine, willing to try anything that would bring her solace. "I can't take anything back that has already happened, but I can make you a promise. I promise that I will do whatever I have to do to protect you, Em. You were right when you said that life can be a dark place. My world went black the moment you died, but just as quickly as I lost you, you came back to me. You illuminated my heart and flooded my soul with the light of your love. I promise that I will never let anyone extinguish that brilliant flame again. Even more than that, I will bring that same light into your life and heart."

Emily knew that Lucky couldn't promise with absolute certainty that nothing bad would ever happen to them. Still, even with that uncertainty, Emily trusted that he would do everything in his power to live up to his word. Life happened after all, and bad things did happen to good people. They were both living proof of that. They had both suffered death. They had cheated death. They had been resurrected, and most importantly, they had found their way back to each other.


	19. Chapter 19

Over the next week, Emily spent all of her time with her family. She would go by the rehabilitation facility every morning to have coffee and breakfast with her mother before heading across town to hang out with the Quartermaines for the rest of the day while Lucky was at work. By nightfall, he would swing by to pick her up, and they would spend the evening eating dinner in front of the television while they talked. He barely got any sleep that week, but since he was still catching up on paperwork from his jaunt to Greece, he didn't seem to mind. They still had months to make up for, and he was happy to listen to her talk until her voice went hoarse and her eyes began to get heavy with sleep.

Besides spending time with her family, Emily had spent a few hours here and there with Morgan at Carly's house. They were careful to keep her hidden as there were still plenty of people who didn't know that she was alive. She had wrestled with a timeline for when she should tell people, especially Nikolas. Lucky had been patient with her for the first few days before beginning to gently push her to tell more people. He knew that keeping this from his brother was a potential for disaster, but he had to respect her wishes. They'd only come close to arguing about it once, and he had immediately pulled back. Emily hated that she was asking Lucky to lie to his brother, but she still needed more time.

Emily had made plans with Jason to go into New York the next day to visit Michael. He had already planned on going up to the city with Carly and Morgan to see him for his weekly visit with him. She would take another limo up with Lucky so that they could see him. Part of her was really looking forward to it, but the biggest part of her was dreading it. Selfishly, she wanted to hold onto the image of the vivacious little boy that had chased her through the park and attempted to teach her to play video games. She didn't want to have to replace that person with a comatose patient who was pretty much gone from this world. If he had died, Emily would have known what to do with that grief. However, with him stuck somewhere in limbo, she wasn't sure how she was supposed to react.

However, before she had to think about it, she was going to spend her first afternoon with Elizabeth since running into her at Lucky's house. She had managed to beg off from hanging out all week long, making up one excuse or another about duties to her family. Finally, using the boys as bait, Liz had managed to back her into a corner and coax her into seeing them for lunch. As she shifted awkwardly on the couch, Emily thought about how much had changed in the last two years. She was waiting for his ex-wife to visit the house that Emily was now sharing with Lucky. It was almost too much to comprehend.

"Auntie Emily!" came a shrieking voice, breaking Emily out of her thoughtful reverie. She had barely looked up when a whirlwind of dark hair zoomed past her and into the kitchen. A second later, a proud Cameron returned with a juice box in hand and launched himself into her lap. Emily hugged the energetic little boy, giggling along with him as they rejoiced in their reunion. "Daddy told me that you were back from your vacation. Did you have a good time?"

Running her fingers through his curly hair, Emily managed a smile and nodded her head. "It was very restful," she retorted as Elizabeth came into the living room with a sleeping Jake on one shoulder and an overstuffed diaper bag on the other. She dropped the canvas tote with a heavy thud in the entry before padding over to the playpen in the corner to lay her youngest son down securely inside. Emily shifted Cameron back to the sofa and rose to meet her friend with a warm embrace. It was only slightly awkward, but she had resigned herself to doing this. She had to push forward. "Thanks so much for coming by for a visit. I'm sorry that it's taken so long."

Elizabeth shook her head modestly, resting her hand reassuring on Emily's shoulder. "It's no problem at all," she promised as they sat together on the couch. Cameron scampered off for the basket of toys Lucky kept in the corner by the fireplace for the boys to play with. This was his second home, so he was completely oblivious to anything being out of place about the scenario. "Lucky called a few minutes ago to tell me that he was going to bring a pizza by after he finished his shift. He wanted to know if we wanted to stay for dinner. I hope that's okay with you."

"Of course it is," Emily smiled a little too enthusiastically. "I'm really glad to see that you and Lucky have found a way to get along for the sake of the boys. Things were a little shaky when…when I was last around, but this is much better for everyone. He really adores those boys. They're all he talks about."

"Well, they definitely love him. He may not be biologically connected to either of them, but he couldn't be more of a father to Cam and Jake," Liz replied wistfully. It was true that Cameron was becoming more and more the spitting image of Zander every day, but he acted just like Lucky. Every time Emily looked at Jake, she always saw her brother staring back at her, but she had already noticed the small mannerisms the infant had picked up from Lucky. "I didn't know if we would ever get in a good place again, but Lucky has been so dedicated to making this work. We went through a really rough spot after the ball, but he was more sure than ever about protecting the boys. I just hate that it hurts Jason so much."

Nodding thoughtfully, Emily took a minute to study her best friend. Elizabeth looked more tired and slightly older than she remembered. Losing Jason had been a hard thing for her, she could tell. Still, she knew that the decision was probably for the best. "Well, I am glad that you guys were able to put them first, especially after what happened to Michael. I still can't believe that such a horrific thing could happen, and I know that I couldn't bear to think of it happening to Jake or Cam. It's not easy on Jase, but you guys did the most selfless thing two parents could do."

"It wasn't an easy decision, but we both agreed that it was for the best. No matter how much I loved Jason, I would never be willing to risk our safety to be with him," Elizabeth acknowledged. "I know that it hurts him, but he seems to be doing alright with Carly by his side. I was a little jealous at first that he could be with her and Morgan, but I realized that her son was already at risk. Everyone knows the truth about his paternity. This is the only way that life will never touch Jake."

Emily thought about telling Elizabeth that Jason's connection to Carly was about much more than circumstances of his chosen career but quickly decided against it. If that was what Liz needed to believe to get over her brother, she would give her that much. Someday, she would open her pretty little eyes and see the truth – that Jason could never love her the way he loved Carly. As her eyes drifted to a photograph of Lucky and Emily on the pier, she understood her brother's devotion to his friend. Some things were written in the stars long before Elizabeth Webber found her way to Port Charles. Jason had been Carly's boy on the side and Lucky had been Emily's best friend before Liz ever stepped foot in the small New York town. She never had a chance.

"So have you gone to see Nikolas yet?" Elizabeth asked suddenly. Emily blushed at her friends expected question. She had known that people would ask eventually, but so far she had managed to dodge the topic with everyone but Lucky. She had confessed her fears to him last night before they fell asleep in his bed. They were still sleeping beside each other but nothing more than a few kisses had been exchanged. "I don't mean to pry, but I'm dying to know."

Choosing her words carefully, Emily turned to her friend and attempted to explain what was going on. "Not yet, I haven't really been ready," she admitted. "Lucky and I just talked about it. I know that it's something that I have to do, and I want to see him. I can't imagine how big Spencer must be. It's just that I know he is happy with Nadine now, and I want that for him. Things aren't the same as they were before I was kidnapped. I can't just walk back into that life. I don't really want to."

Elizabeth wanted to tell her best friend that she understood where she was coming from. She wanted to tell her that she knew that she was falling in love with Lucky and that she had her blessing to go ahead and fall. She wanted to tell her that Nadine did make Nikolas happy and that through their relationship, she had become close to the blonde nurse. She wanted to tell her a million little thoughts that had popped into her head over the past several months, but she didn't. Instead, she simply smiled and patted Emily's hand. "Wait until you see Spencer. We just went to the park with them yesterday. I can't get over how smart that kid is. He is the spitting image of Nikolas with Courtney's smile."

The two women talked for a few more minutes before Jake woke up with an ear-shattering shrill, sending Elizabeth upstairs to change his diaper. Emily stayed downstairs and soon found her way to the floor to build an ornate tower of brightly covered blocks. Cameron meticulously explained his plans for the structure, directing her through every step of the building process. When they were about to start on the moat, Lucky slammed the door and threw his keys on the desk. Just like that, Cameron forgot about the blocks and flung himself toward his father with a delightful cry.

From her spot on the floor, Emily leaned back on her heels and watched as the two Spencer men laughed together. She allowed them a moment of privacy before coming over to greet Lucky. With Cameron still balanced on his hip, Lucky wrapped her in a tight hug and pressed a caressing kiss to her temple. She gazed up at him with a truly contented smile. "Welcome home," she murmured as she leaned back against his shoulder. He pressed another kiss to the top of her head. "I missed you today."

"I missed you too," he responded as he sat Cameron back to the floor. The little boy wrapped himself around his father's leg while Lucky rested his chin on Emily's silky crown. "Things were pretty dead this afternoon, so I managed to sneak out a little early. I hope you don't mind pizza. I got your favorite."

"I can't believe you remembered," she grinned excitedly, eagerly anticipating her favorite concoction of pineapple and grilled chicken. Cameron started to weave between their legs, gently nudging their knees apart so that he could crawl through them. A sudden chirping filled the living room. Emily rolled her eyes, figuring that Lucky was being paged once again. When he failed to retrieve the much-hated silver contraption from his pocket, she realized that the sound was coming from Elizabeth's tote. The nurse must have heard it too because soon she was jogging down the stairs with Jake in her arms. On her way through the living room, she managed to hand off Jake to Lucky so that she could check the page from the hospital. With a quick apology, she headed off to the kitchen to return the call. "I never realized how much I missed that until now."

"You'll get back there soon enough, Em," he promised. They had talked at length about her future career plans. Despite what happened, or maybe because of what had happened, she was more dedicated than ever to becoming a doctor. "Aunt Emily is going to be a great doctor, isn't she, Cam?" The little boy nodded happily as Lucky gave Jake to Emily and then bent over to pick up his other son.

The four of them stood together, laughing and joking until Elizabeth returned. From her place in the doorway, she felt out of place for the first time when it came to her boys. If she was an outsider, she could have sworn that they were the parents to her two sons. Both Jake and Cameron adored their aunt, and Lucky was clearly taken by her. She could have very easily been jealous, but instead, Elizabeth was just happy. If she couldn't make things work with Lucky, she couldn't have picked a better woman for him than Emily. "Hey, I hate to cancel dinner, but that was Epiphany. They are short three nurses because of some bug going around the hospital, and she needs me to fill in. Do you think there is any way I could convince you to keep the boys for a few hours? I promise that I will make it up to you."

"You don't have to make it up to me," Lucky said immediately. "You know that I love spending time with my two favorite guys here. Go to the hospital and work hard. We'll save you a few pieces of pizza for when you get off. They can stay as long as you need them. We'll be here waiting."

After thanking Lucky, Elizabeth hugged and kissed each of the boys before embracing Emily for a long moment. The two girl friends promised to get together just the two of them for a round of shots at Jake's whenever Emily was ready. Joking conspiratorially, they declared proudly that Lucky would have to watch both boys alone while they took part in their favorite ritual. And when she really feeling up to it, maybe after Robin had the baby, they'd get all the hospital girls together. With one final kiss to Jake's downy hair, Elizabeth jetted out of the house and left a different version of the family alone.

The rest of the night went by quickly as pizza was ate, games were played, movies were watched, books were read, baths were given, clothes were changed and teeth were brushed. Lucky finally forced Cameron into his bed with a promise that he would wake him up as soon as his mother got back. When he came back down the stairs, Lucky took a minute to watch Emily from the landing. She was dozing on the sofa, a sleeping Jake resting on her chest. She looked so much like a mother, and Lucky suddenly had a flash forward to their future. He couldn't help but imagine what she would look like in a similar state with their child asleep against her body.

"Hey, let me lay him down," he offered softly, lifting Jake from her arms. Emily smiled sleepily and nodded as Lucky disappeared back upstairs to put his youngest son in his crib. Straightening up, she wiped the sleep absently from her eyes without even trying to smooth down her mussed hair. Lucky returned a minute later before collapsing on the cushion next to her. Within a few minutes, his eyes had fallen shut, and Emily was the only one awake in the house. Nestling her head into the crook of Lucky's arm, she cuddled up beside him and let her hand come to rest on his chest. Listening to the peaceful silence that had fallen over the house, Emily easily drifted off and for the first time since she had come back to Port Charles, she fell asleep feeling completely safe.

* * *

_Coming up next will be Emily's visit to see Michael as well as her much-awaited reunion with Nikolas. Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed the story, being so patient with me during my sporadic updates. I'm hoping to wrap this story up within the next week, so if anyone has any requests for my next fic, let me know! I'm willing to consider anything except Liason because if you have ever read anything I've written, you know I am a firm believer that Jason really belongs with Carly! :) Cheers._


	20. Chapter 20

The sun was barely above the horizon yet, but the limousine was already halfway to New York City. Emily had left Port Charles with Lucky by her side before dawn to ensure they reached the facility where Michael was staying before visiting hours. Jason and Carly had arranged a private consultation with his primary doctor to help familiarize Emily with Michael's case. She was less than excited to sit through the session but understood how important it was to fully comprehending the scope of the situation. Despite her extensive medical education, it was hard for to get how this had happened to her nephew. She hoped that talking to the doctor and asking the questions that had been plaguing her would put her mind at ease at least somewhat.

Dragging her eyes from the trees that whirred by outside, Emily glanced sideways at where Lucky was sleeping beside her. He had been up early checking his email and submitting a few final reports to the station before they left for the day. He had given up so much to help her, and she knew that it would be impossible to ever repay him. No one else had ever put their life on hold for her other than Lucky. He had done it repeatedly – when she was mixed up with the Dead Ted debacle, when she was raped, when she came back from the dead. For the rest of her life, Emily would be forever grateful to the blessings he had brought to her life.

"Can you stop watching me?" he asked with a wide smile, not even bother to open his eyes. Emily giggled softly as he opened his arms and pulled her firmly against his body. She snuggled against his sturdy frame, resting her hand over his heart. It was racing as it always seemed to do when she was near him. "Stop thinking about what's going to happen, whether it's in a few hours or a few hours. I don't even have to look into your eyes to know that your mind is spinning out of control."

Having someone know you as well as Lucky knew her could be both a blessing and a curse at times. It was nearly impossible to hide anything from him. "I'm trying," she promised before stretching her long legs out in the seat beside her. There were many luxuries of being a Quartermaine that Emily had never really gotten comfortable with, but the use of limos and luxury cars definitely wasn't one of them. She relished riding in the fleet of sleek vehicles with a uniformed driver at the helm. "Actually, I wasn't really thinking about what was going to happen, more like thinking about what had already happened. You've really done a lot for me over the years, Spencer."

"Nothing you haven't and wouldn't have done for me," he retorted automatically. He had never been one to take a compliment without repaying the favor. The truth was, Emily had saved his life time and time again, and he had told her that many times. "Em, I don't want to spend the rest of our lives trying to figure out if we're even. It's not about that. You just do those things for the people that you love. I would do anything for you, I think that you know that by now. The only thing that I expect in return is your love. As long as I have that, I can't imagine asking for anything more."

There were no words that she could ever utter that would match the sweet sentiment. Instead, Emily framed his face with her hands and pressed her lips softly but urgently against his. He responded immediately, tangling his long fingers in her long curls. Lucky quickly managed to maneuver his body so that he was beneath her. His hands roamed over her back, down her spine and across her waist. Moaning hungrily against his mouth, Emily pushed every thought from her mind for once and chose to just live in the moment. She ran her tongue across his bottom lip before biting it playfully. He grunted with frustration in return, pressing his hips upward into her pelvis.

In all her time with Nikolas, Emily had never gotten intimate with him in a limo. They'd had the occasion kiss sure, but he had always been too dignified or conservative or concerned to ever fully let himself go. Lucky, on the other hand, was free with his affection, living to please her whenever or wherever the occasion called. Still, they had never crossed over this line, and he hardly wanted to waste such a special moment on an impromptu session in the limo. "Em, we have to stop," he whispered as she continued to plant tiny kisses over his collarbone. He let her continue for a minute longer before hesitantly repeating what he'd said. "I'm serious, we can't do this here. Not like this."

"Yes, like this," she argued, sitting up so that she could look down at him. With her knees on either side of his torso, she straddled him with the knowledge that she had power over him right now. Despite the words coming form his lips, the yearning look in his azure eyes told her all that she needed to know. Lucky Spencer wanted her. "Look, I'm sure you have all these great reasons why it needs to be special, but it doesn't really matter where it happens. It's you and me here, Lucky, that alone makes it special. I've waited all my life to be with you. I don't want to wait anymore. I want to be with you."

Every argument that had been on the tip of his tongue only moments ago was suddenly obsolete as she gazed down at him pleadingly. How could he deny her? They had both waited a long time for this moment. Screw perfection, it was overrated anyhow. Instead, he sat up slowly and pulled her back against him. Her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist as he devoured her mouth with fifteen years of pent-up sexual tension. She moaned his name like a prayer as he started his way down her next, nimbly unbuttoning her gauzy blouse without breaking his caress. She ran her fingers through his hair, pressing face further into her body, hungry for his every touch. Lucky responded obligingly as he pealed off her shirt.

Emily felt self-conscious under Lucky's watchful gaze as he stopped kissing her and stared appreciatively at her. "So beautiful," she heard him mutter before kissing her again softly on the lips. A series of short but hungry kisses followed. This time it was her hands that found their way to his shirt, running under the hem of the tee so that she could feel his warm, bare skin against her palm. Brushing over his abs, she let her fingers come to a rest on his belt buckle while the continued to wrestle for control. Her thumb reached up and yanked at the hem of the shirt again to indicate that she wanted it gone. Lucky stopped kissing her only long enough to remove it.

Pressing her entire body to his, Emily basked in the feeling of his bare skin against hers. She gasped as his fingers trekked up her spine slowly before unhooking her black lacy bra. She let it fall away unabashedly as her bare breasts pressed into his chest. "More," she urged Lucky as their hands wandered over each other appreciatively. His hands crept beneath her short plaid skirt to rest on her bare thigh. Her hands dipped just below the top of his jeans to brush over the muscles in his lower back. There were a million places that they had not yet touched each other, and neither of them could wait to fully explore. Trailing her hands back up his body, she dipped her head to kiss the hollow at the base of his neck. The intimate gesture must have sparked something in Lucky as he immediately bucked against her in response and allowed a deep, guttural curse escape past his lips.

Within a few minutes, Lucky had Emily on her back with nothing else remaining between them. Her skirt lay beside them on the floor on top of his jeans and their other various underthings. Resting his thigh between her parted knees, he hovered over her. She looked so innocent and beautiful under him. "I love you," he whispered before kissing her slowly, deeply, completely. She whispered her love for him in return before nodding silently. He knew what that nod meant. That nod was his permission. Kissing her once more, he finally joined their bodies together so that two could be one.

Afterwards, Lucky held Emily against his body and watched her sleep. He couldn't believe that he finally had all of her to himself. After this morning, he could no longer worry that she would go back to Nikolas. He knew that her heart belonged to him. He wished that they could stay within the safe confines of their limo forever, but as he felt the car slow, he knew that their trip was quickly coming to an end. "Wake up, Em," he murmured, nudging her body gently. She blinked up at him sleepily. "We just got off the freeway."

Sitting up, Emily reached for her clothes on the floor. Lucky leaned back in the seat and watched lazily as she dressed. She took her time, enjoying putting on a show for him. Once she had zipped her skirt, she handed him his clothes. He was a little quicker about it but still allowed her to watch him. There was nothing embarrassing about the situation for either of them. Emily was truly content to have been here, like that, with him. "I love you," she told him again as she straightened his t-shirt.

He brushed his thumb over her button lip. "I love you," he echoed as the driver buzzed the intercom. Lucky pressed the button to lower the privacy window between the seats. "What's up, Milo?"

"I'm pulling up to the front door. Jason and Carly are already waiting outside on the terrace for you. He said to just go on in," he informed the pair.

Emily nodded and thanked him before raising the window up again. She leaned over Lucky to look up at the expansive building before them. She could just make out the outline of Jason sitting on a shaded bench with Carly. Her head was resting on his shoulder as he stroked her hair soothingly. At that comment, she understood what it was like to see her with Lucky. She knew that was exactly what they must look like to outsiders. However, she didn't have much more time to think about it as the car lurched to a stop and Lucky scrambled out of the car to help her from the seat.

Carly spotted them first, rising to greet them after spotting them. Jason stood behind her protectively, his hand resting on the small of her back in a quietly reassuring gesture. "Good morning," Carly managed warmly before leaning forward to awkwardly hug her cousin while Jason greeted his sister. They exchanged partners, Lucky shaking Jason's hand while Emily tried to pretend that hugging Carly was a normal thing. As they pulled away, the blonde studied Emily for a minute. "Your shirt is misbuttoned," she whispered knowingly into her ear. Emily laughed sheepishly as she turned away from her brother to fix her blunder. Carly winked at her mischievously. She never would have guessed that they would have so much in common. "Don't worry, you'll get better with more practice."

Jason didn't even want to know what Carly had said to make his sister turn a bright shade of crimson. He just wanted to get this session with Michael's doctor over. "Come on, we need to go," he told them before ushering Carly in the direction of the office. Lucky slipped his hand in Emily's and followed closely behind the duo. Jason looked over his shoulder once to shoot a warning glare in the detective's direction, but Lucky shrugged it off. He wasn't scared of Jason. He knew that the only way the mobster would ever hurt him was if he broke Emily's heart, and luckily for both of them, he had no intention of letting that happen.

Two hours were spent going over every diagnosis, treatment, side effect and case study related to Michael's injury. Emily took notes, determined to do some research on her own later. She asked several questions and meticulously notated the responses in her steno notebook. Carly or Jason would interrupt here and there to offer their own observations after spending hours at Michael's bedside. Finally, when there were no questions left, the doctor left them with a promise to be nearby if anyone should have anything else for him.

Emily was led down a sunny corridor toward Michael's room. "He can have up to four visitors now," Carly told her proudly as they arrive outside the bright blue room. Peering through the small window on the door, Emily couldn't believe how tiny he looked in the big bed. Standing behind her, Carly reached up and rested her hand on Emily's shoulder. "I know, it just doesn't seem right, does it?" Emily shook her head and looked down at her black ballet flats. "It's even harder when Morgan is here. I try to keep his visits short because it's so hard on both of us. That's why my mom is going to bring him down in a little bit. I can't even make this okay for myself. How am I supposed to do that for him?"

"I don't know," Emily answered honestly before turning to look at the woman. "I'm not sure how any of this is supposed to work, but you have managed to figure it out. You and Jason have made it as okay as possible for Morgan. I'm amazed at how well the two of have done. You don't pretend that this is anything that it's not. You're strong and brave and honest. Whatever is between us, I just think you should know that."

"Thank you," Jason replied before Carly could even say anything. He looked down at Carly and smiled. Emily knew something was going on behind that smile, something deeper and more intimate than she could ever understand. She had those kinds of smiles with Lucky. "Come on, let's go see our boy."

Hanging back for a moment, Lucky and Emily watched as the two parents went into the room and started the surprisingly comforting process of spending time with Michael. "He loves her, you know," she told Lucky. "You can just see it in the way he looks at her. I guess it's always been there, but I didn't want to see it. Now, it's blindingly clear. He is completely in love with her. And as much as I can't believe that I'm about to say this, I want him to be with her. She makes him happy, makes him a better man. When you find that, you can't just walk away. I almost did once, but I got my second chance. I hope that they take advantage of theirs."

Wrapping his arm around her waist, Lucky kissed her cheek gently before resting the side of his head against hers. "I think that this time, we just might all get our happy endings."


	21. Chapter 21

Spending the entire day at Michael's beside had been easier than Emily would have thought. With Lucky by her side, she managed to only focus on the good times she had shared with the young redhead, from the first moment she held him in his arms as his godmother to the precious months she spent as part of their makeshift family with Sonny to the lilac cashmere sweater he had picked out for her last birthday. They were tiny moments, a glimmer of an amazing little boy, but they were her memories to remember. She would hold them in her heart forever.

After saying her departing words to Jason and Carly, Emily was relieved to escape to the safe haven of her limousine with Lucky. She was quiet as he sat next to her on the seat, his hand resting comfortably on her thigh as she stared vacantly out the window. Her thoughts were focused on what had happened prior to the visit when she had finally let go and gave in to feelings she had been fighting since she was an awkward teenager. She had truly loved Nikolas Cassadine, but a part of her had always known that it was Lucky. Now that they were officially together, she was ready to face whatever was going to come her way.

"I'm ready to see Nikolas," she announced without looking at him. A sporty red convertible passed by their car followed by a blue SUV. Emily focused on the mundane details to avoid his eyes, which she knew were filled with mixed emotions. "He can't hurt me anymore. I'm not afraid of knowing that he moved on. We meant a lot to each other, and nothing will ever change that. I just think that it's time that we figure out what we mean to each other now."

Lucky ran his fingers through his dark hair nervously. He had known sleeping with Emily would change their relationship, but a part of him had still feared that she would go back to his older brother. He couldn't have blamed her if she did. For as long as he could remember, his best friend had proudly proclaimed that Nikolas was the love of her life. How could he call her out on that when he had thought the same to be true about Elizabeth at points in his life? If that was what she had decided, he would have found a way to accept it. Now that she was telling him that he wouldn't have to, he couldn't help but feel like something else was still going to happen.

She must have sensed his hesitation because the next thing Lucky knew, Emily was crawling into his lap, straddling his body so that she could face him. She reached up and framed his face in her hands, brushing her thumbs along his strong jaw line while staring confidently into his bright indigo eyes. "It's not like that, Spencer. I am in love with _you_," she murmured. "Do you understand that? It's you that I want, you that I needed."

The otherwise stoic detective felt a bit sheepish as tears started to glimmer in his eyes. Without a word, she reached up and wiped them away with the pad of her thumb. "I believe you. I know that you love me, and I want you to know that I am in love with you," he declared. Emily nodded as she pressed her forehead to his. Lucky tilted his head to wrangle her lips into a long, heartfelt kiss. After a long moment, she pulled away and grinned up at him. With a slight nod, he pressed the call button to inform Milo of a change in plans.

A few hours later when the limousine pulled up to the launch, Emily couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She had taken this ride so many times but never like this. She had never gone out to Spoon Island with the intention of telling her Cassadine prince that she was truly over him. For as long as she could remember, she could never have imagined getting past him. He had been the stuff of her girlhood dreams. However, the thing about dreams is that you eventually wake up, and reality inevitably comes back. Thankfully for Emily, the thing that was waiting for her was even better. She was blessed enough to have fallen in love with her best friend.

"Good afternoon, Master Spencer," the uniformed captain greeted him warmly as he helped Lucky board the boat. The man had been hired after Emily's supposed death, so he didn't recognize his companion. To him, Emily was just another passenger that helped him kill time until he could go back home to his four kids. "The ride should take the usual ten minutes. Waters are fairly calm this evening and Master Cassadine hasn't had any guests tonight. He and Mademoiselle Crowell are expecting you at Wyndamere."

"Thank you, Sam," Lucky retorted gratefully before leaning back in his seat. The unseasonably cold breeze blew across the water, causing him to wrap his arm around Emily to keep her warm. She snuggled into his embrace. "I didn't know that Nadine was going to be there. If you're not comfortable, we could always turn back and do this tomorrow."

Emily shook her head bravely. "I am going to have to meet her eventually, and tonight seems like a good a night as any," she decided. "Besides, from what you tell me, I am probably going to like her. If she is as much like me as you say she is, she'll like me, too. That's the kind of people we are, too damn nice for our own good. I'm guessing that this hasn't been easy for her to do. I can't imagine having to live in the shadow of someone else. People inevitably would compare the two of us. It's not fair to her. Nikolas has decided to love her, and I hope that my sudden resurrection will not take that away from either of them."

Turning to study her face, Lucky was not at all surprised that there was not a single negative emotion apparent in her beautiful features. Emily was a truly good-hearted person and she really did seem to want the best for the new couple. "You are amazing," he complimented her. "Most people would be jealous or hate Nadine. You're wishing them the best. You're defending her. They really broke the mold when they made you, Quartermaine."

Shrugging her shoulder, she was the epitome of modesty. "I would never begrudge Nikolas the chance to find what I found with you. I'm lucky that I'm in love with my best friend. It sounds like Nadine has come to be that for Nikolas. No one could understand what it was like to lose me, but I think that somehow she must have for him to be able to let her in. You know how private your brother is. He has clearly chosen to trust and love her. That is the only seal of approval I need."

He was still considering her words when Sam pulled the small boat up to the docks just outside Wyndamere. The pale moon cast eerie shadows over the dark mausoleum, and Lucky knew not for the first time why his father referred to the Cassadines as vampires. Once they were anchored securely at shore, Lucky jumped from the boat and helped Emily step onto the dock. Sliding his hand in hers, he quickly sent a silent prayer in hopes that his mother was watching over them.

"Alfred is off tonight," Sam told them as he started the motor back up. "Nikolas told me to just go ahead and send you in. He should be in the sitting room with Nadine and Spencer. Just call me whenever you are ready to come back to town and I will motor over to pick you up."

Emily nodded in acknowledgement as she gazed up at the mansion in amazement. This was the very scene of her death, but she didn't feel the emotions she had expected. She had thought she would feel angry or fearful or at least sad, but she actually felt happy. Not remembering a lot of that evening meant that she could choose to remember the good times she had spent in this house. She had had a very good life here with Nikolas and Spencer, memories that she would always be fond of. Some of those memories included Lucky and Elizabeth. It had been a good life, and now, she would create a new set of memories.

She felt immediately at home as she entered into the main foyer of Wyndamere. Emily looked automatically to the table next to the stairway knowing that she would see exactly what she expected. Still in its sterling silver frame was the engagement picture they'd had taken at Rice Park just before their first wedding. It was their favorite photograph together, and she was happy to know that Nikolas still kept apart of their life together in his home.

Lucky followed her gaze to the photograph and smiled. He still had the same photo at his house sitting on the window sill his office. Elizabeth kept hers on the end table next to the sofa, and Jason's was displayed prominently in the middle of his mantle. "Um, do you want me to go in first or how should we do this?" He waited for her to answer, but she only offered a silent shrug. Neither of them knew how to handle this, just as they hadn't known how to do anything since she came home. "I'll go in first and then you can come in when you are ready. If you haven't come in fifteen minutes, I'll make up an excuse to leave."

After agreeing to his plan, Emily hid discreetly behind one of the swinging doors and prayed that Spencer's nanny wouldn't make a surprise appearance. Lucky gave her one last reassuring glance before walking into the living room as if nothing was going on. "Hey, Lucky!" she heard a female voice greet him warmly. Peaking through the crack in the door, she watched as a petite blonde rose to hug him. "We haven't seen you for days."

"I had to go out of town for awhile, but I'm back now," he offered, looking sideways at his brother.

Nikolas looked like he was about to say something when Spencer shot up from his seat on the couch. "Uncle Lucky!" the toddler squealed, throwing his arms excitedly around his favorite uncle. "Daddy and Nadine took me to the toy store today, and I got a whole bunch of new cars for my train set. Nadine even helped me set up all these cows for the new farm set we picked up. You have to come and see it."

"Lead the way," he grinned, taking the little boy's hand. He glanced back at the door one time when a thought popped into his mind. "Why don't you convince Nadine to come up here with us so that I can catch up with her?"

Neither Nikolas nor Nadine seemed to suspect anything as the happy threesome disappeared upstairs to see Spencer's most prized possession. When they were gone, Nikolas walked over to the desk and began to leaf through a pile of papers. From her hidden place in the doorway, Emily allowed herself a moment to watch him work. She had always loved to do that, lavishing in stole moments on the landing as he commanded respected even over the telephone. It was the same rush now, watching his brow furl as he went over a spreadsheet. Watching him like that, she could still see the man she had fallen so hopelessly for. Knowing that gave her the push that she needed.

"Hey, you." Nikolas felt the world go dark as the pages fell from his hands and into a heap on the floor. She stood in the doorway in a white gauzy number looking like the living embodiment of an Earth Angel. Pressing his hand over his mouth, he tried to find his voice but failed. She smiled softly as she crossed the room and wrapped her arms comfortingly around his shaking frame. They fell together to the floor as he buried his face in her shoulder. She stroked his hair soothingly, willing herself to stay strong for him.

When he felt like he finally had his breath back, Nikolas moved back enough to look at her. "You're real," he breathed, still completely in shock. "Lucky was right. I didn't believe him when he told me, but here you are, Em. You're here with me."

Nodding silently, Emily brushed away his tears just as she had with Lucky earlier. "He found me and brought me home," she murmured. There were no words. She suddenly felt like she had used them all up. "I can't believe how big Spencer has gotten. He seems very content. I'm glad that you both have Nadine. You deserve to be a happy family."

Nikolas wanted to tell her that it could never be a family without her, but he knew that was no longer true. Even when he hadn't wanted to, Nadine had forced him to move on for the sake of his son. Over time he had come to realize that he had also moved on for himself and for her. They had become close, and she was a big part of his life now. Still, he couldn't help but feel the same familiar love come rushing back as he held onto Emily now. "She's still not you."

There was so much more to say, but a certain rambunctious little boy suddenly reappeared and stole their chance. He stopped short at the couch when his eyes fell on Emily. It didn't matter that he wasn't even two when she had died, he recognized her immediately. "Emily?" he asked confusedly. "Daddy told me that you went up to heaven to visit Mommy. If you came back, does that mean she can too?"

A painful silence fell over the room as Nikolas stood up and went over to comfort his son. Lifting Spencer easily into his arms, the father hugged him tightly. "Your mommy isn't going to come back," he told him softly, looking into his eyes to make sure that he understood. "Emily was in a different place than Mommy. We're lucky she got to come back." He looked over his son's shoulder at the blonde nurse that he had come to love. She looked shaken, confused and suddenly unsure. He wanted to go over and hold her in his arms, protect her and Spencer from all the confusion unfolding around them.

Lucky slipped past his brother to check on Emily. He rested his hand on her shoulder, turning her slightly so that she would meet his gaze. She managed a small smile to show him that she was fine, but her eyes were quickly averted back to Spencer. He kept glancing at her over Nikolas' shoulder as if he was trying to figure out how this could happen. He somehow squirmed out of his father's arms and ran over to her. Hiding behind Lucky's leg, he kept peering up at her until finally he made his carefully calculated move. Reaching for her hand, he tugged her toward the stairs. "Come see my trains," he demanded. "Nadine got me a farm."

Never one to argue with a child's demands, Emily looked apologetically at the other adults in the room before disappearing upstairs with Spencer. Lucky waited for his brother to attack him, but Nikolas didn't seem to care that he was in the room. His only concern was for Nadine. He hung back and watched as Nikolas went across the room to hold Nadine. "This doesn't change anything," he attempted, but she wasn't having any of it.

"Nik, are you kidding me? This changes everything," she argued, her voice barely audible. She was too polite to fight in front of company, but she couldn't pretend that this was normal. "Your dead fiancée, the love of your life, just came back from the dead and showed up at your house. She's upstairs with your son. Tell me how I'm supposed to not worry about this. What's my place in this?"

"I don't know," he admitted honestly. "How could I know? This just happened. All I know is that this doesn't take anything away that I feel for you. You stuck by me through all of this, and I have made a commitment to you. I don't go back on my word."

"If that's all you would stay for, I release you from any promises you made," she retorted as she tried to pull away from him. Nikolas wouldn't let her go without a fight, and before long, he managed to have her wrapped in his arms. "Nik, please…"

Nikolas tilted her chin so that her baby blue eyes met his. "I don't want you to let me out of my promises. I want you to make me stick to my word. Please, don't destroy us before we get the chance to figure out what all this means," he implored. "I won't pretend to have all the answers right now, but I know that we can fine them together. I don't know how, but we will."

An unexpected noise from the staircase diverted all attention back to Emily. Spencer had stayed upstairs to set up the new trees that had come with his farm set, leaving them with the opportunity to talk openly as adults. She noticed that Nikolas didn't even pretend to pull away from Nadine as she came the rest of the way down the stairs and into the sitting room. Padding across the polished wooden floor, she took Lucky's hand and pulled him over to a chair big enough to fit both of them. Perched in the spacious seat, she finally regarded the other couple in the room. "Let's find those answers."


	22. Chapter 22

As afternoon faded into evening, Alfred eventually stopped bringing hot tea in favor of a rich burgundy. He knew exactly the flavors that Emily preferred, from a slightly sweetened chamomile to her favorite label from Nikolas' Grecian vineyard. Everything about the conversation was complicated and uncomfortable, but the four adults managed to navigate their way for the greater good. Lucky was probably the quietest, only speaking when he was spoken to. Nadine listened intently to the crazy and fairly unbelievable tale of Emily's kidnapping, finding herself in disbelief. Nikolas tried not to stare at his ex-wife and former fiancée, but it was still so strange to see her sitting in his sitting room. Emily was pretty much the center of attention just as she had been since coming home, having all eyes on her as she told and retold her story.

Finally, after they had run out of awkward conversation, Alfred announced that their dinner was ready and gave them a much-needed reprieve. Nadine excused herself politely and went upstairs to retrieve Spencer from the playroom upstairs. When she came back downstairs, the little boy ran excitedly for the table. He loved to eat pretty much anything Alfred made for him. The elderly butler had a noticeably soft side for the toddler and was always finding a way to sneak his favorites onto the menu. Nikolas sat down at his customary seat at the head of the table and gestured for the rest of his guests to be seated.

Without even thinking about it, Emily headed automatically for her usual chair to the right of Spencer. Just as she was about to reach the table, Nadine slipped into the chair and set to work helping the little boy cut his grilled chicken. Lucky noticed her slight falter and reached immediately for her hand to guide her to an empty chair across from Spencer. His quiet, gentle way of supporting her had saved her again. He only offered a slight smile as he took the seat next to her, reaching beneath the table to gently pat her knee in reassurance.

"Nadine, will you help me make a mashed potato volcano?" Spencer asked innocently as he held up a large silver serving spoon. The blonde nurse smiled lovingly at Nikolas over the boy's head before setting to the task of dishing out the fluffy white potatoes. "Emily, have you ever had one of these? Nadine makes the best ones. Daddy is always telling us not to play with our food, but we don't listen, do we? She says that we have to enjoy our food. That's more fun!"

"No, we sure don't listen to your stuffy daddy," Nadine giggled as she poured a heap of corn on top of the potato mountain. Spencer watched in amazement as she covered it with a helping of gravy. "Here you go, buddy. If you eat everything, we can go out and take our walk while Daddy talks to Uncle Lucky."

The little boy smiled widely as he dug into his dinner, instantly forgetting about the four adults in the room. Nikolas attempted to make polite conversation, Lucky tried to make a few awkward jokes, Nadine offered a few stories about the hospital and Emily just tried to keep her food down. The only person that seemed unaffected was Spencer, and Emily was happy that he didn't really know what was going on. The little boy had been a big part of her life since he was born, and now that he growing into quite the little man, she felt incredibly lucky to have been apart of him. Like she had thought earlier, it was hard to see someone else taking her place. She had thought that it would be harder to see her with Nikolas, but it was really the motherly role she had taken with Spencer that hurt. It reminded Emily of the empty void in her heart, the part of her that wanted to be a mother even more than she wanted to be a doctor. That part of her had almost died thanks to Helena, but now that she was sitting here in Port Charles, it was alive and present.

After dessert had been served, Spencer was instantly out of his seat and ready to get outside. Emily watched him fidget while Nadine tucked his little feet into the designer sneakers. She couldn't stomach the gourmet tiramisu she usually coveted. Her stomach was a bundle of nerves. "Alright, I think we are going to head out," Nadine announced as Spencer latched onto her hand. Looking across the table at the brunette, she considered what her next step should be. "Would you like to join us? We usually just walk down to the stables or over to the gardens until the little guy is worn out."

Looking to Lucky, she almost wanted him to tell her to stay so that they could cut out early and go head. She wanted to go curl up in bed in his arms and forget that anyone else but them existed. Things were so simple when it was just him and her. It was only when they had to add other people to the mix before it would get hard. Reality was a complication she just didn't need. "Sure, I guess that would be okay," she agreed. She slipped from her chair and pressed a kiss to Lucky's forehead before following Nadine out of the dining room.

It was strange to be following her. Everything was strange. It was actually Emily who had started the ritual of nightly strolls with Spencer just after Nikolas brought him home. She could still remember those first few weeks when he had brought the infant home. He had been so lost, not knowing what to do with a baby that now relied completely on him. Still, she had seen the love and adoration from the very first minute the three of them were together. Spending those precious years as a mother to Spencer had been amazing. It was probably the most incredible gift anyone had ever given her, even more the love that she had shared with Nikolas.

The threesome headed across the moonlight path after deciding to head down to feed the new ducks Nikolas had bought for the reflecting pond. Just as they headed through the lattice archway, they had to stop so that Nadine could tie Spencer's shoe. Emily took the opportunity to look back at Wyndamere. She could make out the dark outline of two men posed on the balcony watching out over them. Nikolas looked so serious as he gazed forlornly in the distance. Lucky, on the other hand, looked genuinely happy as he grinned down at them. Emily felt as beautiful as always under his watchful gaze. That was her love.

Once Spencer was satisfied with his laces, the three headed off into the night. The moonlight was pale but bright enough to illuminate them along the way. Spencer walked between them, holding onto Nadine and Emily's hands so that he could swing between them. He was so happy-go-lucky, and both women admired his innocence. When they finally reached the clearing, he jetted ahead and ran over to the pond. Nadine hurried on ahead to give him the stale bread that Alfred had sent along for him to use. The little boy quickly set to work tearing the crusts into tiny little pieces to feed his new pets, Lulu and Alfie. He had named them after his aunt and butler because they were his two favorite people.

Emily watched him for a moment before padding across the dewy grass for a bench. She had bought the bench and put it together herself during her first marriage to Nikolas. After losing her grandmother, Emily had spent many hours keeping up the roses in her garden. When she moved to Wyndamere, Nikolas made sure that she had a similar set-up so that she could feel at home. This bench had been the first thing she added. Running her hand over the cool metal, it was the first time she felt like she belonged here. This had been her place. In a small way, it would always be her place. It didn't matter who had come along, no one could replace her.

Hesitantly, Nadine finally left Spencer's side to come over to Emily. Both women were silent as they watched the young child toss bits of bread into the water. He was happy as the birds splashed and swam in circles, playfully fighting over the food. "This is so hard," Nadine said finally. The woman was glad that the night was so dark that they couldn't see each other. "And then, at the same time, it's not."

Nodding her head slightly, Emily turned slightly to the nurse without taking her eyes off Spencer. "I keep thinking the same thing. I keep thinking about how this should be," she tried to explain. "The thing is that there isn't really any right answer. I'm stuck somewhere between my old life and my new lie. It's hard to come back to a world that has moved on without you. You feel obsolete. And then there are times when everyone wants to know everything about you, and you feel like you can't escape the spotlight. It's too much like when I first came here after my mom died or when I had cancer. I like the times in between a lot more than this."

"Nikolas has told me so much about what a strong woman you are. I can see now how right he was," she complimented Emily. "For such a long time, I never thought that I could live up to your memory. Like you said, I kept thinking about how everything should be. And then one day, I looked up and realized that it didn't matter because I had fallen completely in love with Nikolas anyhow. It didn't really matter what my head thought because my heart had already decided for me. I would do anything to keep that in my life."

Emily knew what the other woman was getting at. She would be the same way if it was her in Nadine's position. "I'm not going to put up a fight, Nadine," she reassured her. "There was a time when I thought that nothing would come between Nikolas and I, but something finally did. We can't escape the time and distance Helena put between us. I know that he loved me, and in a way, he always will love me. I do love him. We will always care deeply about each other."

Looking down at her hands, Nadine searched for the right words to express the thoughts racing through her mind. "I wish I could say that I was noble enough to step aside for you, but I can't. Nikolas loves me, and I love him. I am crazy about that little boy over there. We've become a family. I hate what happened to you. I wish that it hadn't, but we can't go back."

"No, we can't," the brunette agreed. "I've thought about this, talked about this, a lot. I'm not sure that I would want to now given the chance. There was a reason this happened to me, to all of us. I am being honest when I tell you that I will always love Nikolas, but I don't want to be with him. Loving someone and being in love with someone are two very different things. I am in love with Lucky Spencer."

Nikolas' dead fiancée was in love with his brother. His brother had once been married to the aforementioned woman's best friend. It was a tangled web, and Nadine couldn't help but feel a little left on the outside. Still, she felt relieved to know that she wouldn't have to fight for Nikolas. She would have given it everything she had. She had just gotten the life and family that she wanted. She wouldn't let anyone, not even a formerly dead soulmate, take it away from her. "Well, that is good to hear."

"But I want to let you know that I fully intend on keeping both of those men in my life. I have loved Nikolas in one way or another for fifteen years. He is apart of my future just as much as he was apart of my past. The four of us – Elizabeth, Nikolas, Lucky and me – we had the friendship of a lifetime. I won't let that go without a fight," she avowed. "That little boy over there means just as much to me. I will be in his life. Nikolas made me his godmother, and it is a role that I fully intend to live up to. I've already lost a godchild. I will not lose another."

It was a statement of fact, and Nadine knew that there was no room for argument. Even if she felt there was, she wouldn't have said anything because Emily's request was fair. She couldn't stop asking her to care anymore than she expected Nikolas and Spencer to suddenly stop loving the other woman. She didn't want them to; there was plenty of room for both women in their lives. It would be strange, it would be hard but it could be good. They could actually be a family. Maybe they would never been conventional but it would be theirs. In the end, that was really all that mattered.

Lucky and Nikolas were thrilled a half-hour later when the two women came back to the house with a sleeping Spencer cradled in Emily's arms. A smiling Cassadine prince took the toddler from her and held his son tightly to his chest. Whispered goodbyes were exchanged with promises of another meal soon. Nadine walked them to the door, and before too long, Lucky was happily alone with Emily once again.

"Well, that was weird," he declared when they finally reached the cottage. Throwing his keys on the desk, he checked the answering machine before kicking off his shoes and collapsing on the couch. Emily followed suit, peeling off her heels and crawling onto the sofa into his arms. "I kept trying to find another adjective, but it was just weird."

"Not bad exactly, just weird," she nodded as Lucky started to trace a lazy pattern up her forearm. Emily shifted in his arms so that she could look up at him. "You were right, I really like her. A part of me really didn't want to, if I'm honest. I guess I hated the thought that anyone could replace me. I've felt like that everywhere. I didn't want there to be a better intern at GH, a better friend to Elizabeth, a better mother to Spencer. Tonight, I realized that it's a good thing that someone came along to fill that role. He needs that in his life. There is still room for me. I wasn't destined to live out that dream. My fates lie elsewhere."

"Oh?"

She just grinned before brushing a soft kiss over his mouth. "We're going to be happy, Spencer. I can just feel it."

"I already am," he confessed before returning her kiss. "It's just starting, but we already have a good life. A lousy detective could do much worse than a beautiful medical wonder, Dr. Quartermaine."

Emily tapped her temple while she pretended to think. "I think I will like the sound of Dr. Spencer even more."

"Moving a little fast there, Em?"

She turned over onto his body and stared seriously into his eyes. "I hardly think fifteen years of build up is moving fast, Lucky," she pointed out. "Besides, don't even pretend that it hasn't crossed your mind."

"I won't. I have thought about it a lot, before you came back and since."

"I'm not saying that it has to happen now, but I know that it will be soon. You've always had a thing for instant gratification."

A slight blush spread over his cheeks as Emily pecked a quick kiss on the tip of his nose. "Well, if I remember how you pounced on me in the limo, waiting isn't exactly your thing either."

"So, why don't you take me upstairs and use that to your benefit?"

"You know what, I think I will," he laughed as he scooped her into his arms. They fell into a deep kiss immediately as she wrapped her legs around his waist while he managed to carry her up the stairs. Her fingers tangled in his hair, his hands resting on the underneath of her thighs, her breath short and ragged, his words rough and moaned. When he hovered over her body on the bed, he stopped to look down at her. "Other than loving me, what did you mean about your fate earlier?"

Emily smiled as she interlocked their fingers together. "I meant you, Spencer, I've always meant you," she said. "Fortunately for us, no one has ever come along to be a better best friend."

_Fin._


End file.
